Near-wall forces on a neutrally buoyant spherical particle in an axisymmetric stagnation-point flow

Abstract

Hydrodynamic forces acting on a neutrally buoyant spherical particle immersed in a wall-bounded axisymmetric stagnation-point flow (Hiemenz-Homann flow) are predicted, based on a suitable form of the reciprocal theorem. An approximate algebraic form of the undisturbed velocity field is set up, mimicking the gradual transition of the actual carrying flow throughout the boundary layer, from a pure linear straining flow in the bulk to a parabolic flow at the wall. The particle Reynolds number is assumed to be small and predictions based on the creeping-flow assumption are first derived. Then, inertial corrections are computed, assuming that the particle stands close enough to the wall for the latter to be in the inner region of the disturbance. Predictions for the time-dependent slip velocity between the particle and ambient fluid are obtained in the form of a differential equation, first assuming that the particle moves along the flow symmetry axis, then extending the analysis to particles released at an arbitrary radial position. In the former case, these predictions are compared with results provided by numerical simulations. When the strain-based Reynolds number (built on the particle radius and strain rate in the bulk) exceeds, finite-inertia effects due to particle-wall interactions and to the relative acceleration between the particle and fluid are found to substantially modify the way the slip velocity varies with the distance to the wall.