Theory and experiments on the fluid dynamics of particles moving through a pore with randomized flow on one side

Identifying innovative ways of removing particulates from fluids remains of practical interest in areas from industrial processes to purification of water from microplastics. Filtration is challenging because of filter clogging and the large amount of energy required to push water through filters. This project will investigate a filter design in which the filters are suspended in the fluid in a turbulent flow. The filters can then be readily separated from the fluid and emptied. This new concept has the potential to revolutionize engineering approaches to filtration. By suspending the filters in the flow, large pressures required to drive fluid through the filters are avoided and pumping is substituted by shaking of the fluid. The key step in this new process is to understand the way particles move through the filter’s pore with random flow forcing on one side. This research will introduce students to new avenues of interdisciplinary science research, communicate science to the public from open platforms, such as to museums, and develop teaching material to advance STEM education. The goal of this project is to understand the fluid dynamics particle transport through pores of comparable size in the presence of random flow on one side of the pore. This complex process involves the interaction between Stokesian dynamics at the pore and viscous and pressure fluctuations driving the motion on one side of the pore. Experiments are proposed using high speed imaging of the process and particle imaging velocimetry of the fluid velocities. Simulation modeling of transport through pores will complement the experiments. Understanding this process will shed light on an alternative approach to filtration in which particles are captured by suspended filters, and filtration occurs in a fluid by shaking them together. The transport of particles through the filter pores determines the efficiency of filtration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.