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Pre-asymptotic dispersion of active particles through a vertical pipe: the origin of hydrodynamic focusing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2023

Mingyang Guan Open the ORCID record for Mingyang Guan [Opens in a new window] ,
Weiquan Jiang Open the ORCID record for Weiquan Jiang [Opens in a new window] ,
Bohan Wang Open the ORCID record for Bohan Wang [Opens in a new window] ,
Li Zeng Open the ORCID record for Li Zeng [Opens in a new window] ,
Zhi Li  and
Guoqian Chen Open the ORCID record for Guoqian Chen [Opens in a new window]
Mingyang Guan
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Sustainability Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
Weiquan Jiang
Affiliation:
Macao Environmental Research Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao 999078, PR China
Bohan Wang
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Sustainability Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
Li Zeng
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, PR China
Zhi Li
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Sustainability Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
Guoqian Chen*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Sustainability Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China Macao Environmental Research Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao 999078, PR China
*
†Email address for correspondence: gqchen@pku.edu.cn
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Abstract

When motile algal cells are exposed to gyrotactic torques, their swimming directions are guided to form radial accumulation, well known as hydrodynamic focusing. The origin of hydrodynamic focusing from the effects of active swimming, ambient flow and particle anisotropy is elucidated in the present study on the pre-asymptotic dispersion of active particles through a vertical pipe. With an extension of the Galerkin method to pipe flows, time-dependent solutions directly from the Smoluchowski equation in the position and orientation space are derived by series expansions of spherical harmonics and Bessel functions. Ballistic and diffusive scaling laws are examined with the predominance of self-propelled swimming, and computation is validated against an explicit benchmark solution and Lagrangian particle simulation. In the limit of extreme shear, the competitive roles of shear dispersion and Brownian rotation are reflected concretely in the pre-asymptotic phase of hydrodynamic focusing. For flows with various shear strengths, a concentration peak in near-wall regions with a smooth transition to hydrodynamic focusing is illustrated with richer phenomena in upwelling and downwelling flows. A newly observed regime through a vertical pipe, named transient effective trapping, is revealed as a transitional mode towards hydrodynamic focusing. The pre-asymptotic approach to hydrodynamic focusing is elaborated intensively through extensive solutions of concentration moments and macroscopic transport coefficients characterised by swimming and flow Péclet numbers. The unique findings for the origin of hydrodynamic focusing could provide insight into related micro-algae reactor technology and contribute to flow control and biomass transfer in confined environments.

JFM classification

Biological Fluid Dynamics: Swimming/flying Mass Transport: Dispersion
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 962 , 10 May 2023 , A14
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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