A new moment method for solving the coagulation equation for particles in Brownian motion

Abstract

A new numerical approach for solving coagulation equation, TEMOM model, is first presented. In this model, the closure of the moment equations is approached using the Taylor-series expansion technique. Through constructing a system of three first-order ordinary differential equations, the most important indexes for describing aerosol dynamics, including particle number density, particle mass and geometric standard deviation, are easily obtained. This approach has no prior requirement for particle size spectrum, and the limitation existing in the log-normal distribution theory automatically disappears. This new approach is tested by comparing it with known accurate solutions both in the free molecular and the continuum regime. The results show that this new approach can be used to solve the particle general dynamic equation undergoing Brownian coagulation with sufficient accuracy, while less computational cost is needed. Copyright © American Association for Aerosol Research.