Computer Simulation of Swarming and Aggregation in Heterogeneous High-Concentrated Polydisperse Flows

Abstract

When describing aggregation processes in dispersed systems, the Smoluchowski or Becker-Döring models are commonly used. However, mathematical modeling of aggregation processes under conditions of multiparticle collisions and non-uniform spatial distribution of dispersed phase in a flow may be beyond the scope of these models reliability. Previously, the applicability limits of these models in homogeneous high-concentrated dispersions were analytically investigated by authors. Subsequently, a stochastic lattice model (SLM) was proposed. The model aims to overcome the limitation of aggregation to binary collisions only. This paper continues to explore the potential of the SLM model for describing swarming and aggregation processes under conditions of both non-uniform spatial distribution and multiparticle collisions. Unlike previously published author's studies, this work focuses on the assessment of multiparticle collisions probabilities in polydisperse flows. Based on the results of a computer experiment using the SLM, regions and concentration ranges with a high probability of multiparticle collisions were identified. Kinetics of swarming and aggregation in a flow with a non-uniform concentration distribution of the dispersed phase applying to the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) were studied. These theoretical results may be especially of interest for the further development of new models and methods for calculating processes and equipment in biotechnology and pharmaceutical productions.