Low Reynolds number capture of small particles on a cylinder by diffusion, interception, and inertia at subcritical Stokes numbers: Numerical calculations, correlations, and small diffusivity asymptote

Abstract

When the particle-to-target radius ratio R and the inverse Peclet number 1/P are small, particle capture by interception and diffusion by cylinders at low Reynolds numbers may be described via Friedlander’s single similarity parameter Π ≡ R·P1/3, in the full range 0 < Π < ∞. Particle inertia may substantially enhance this capture efficiency, even at subcritical Stokes numbers S < S*∼2. We have recently shown that this inertial enhancement is the product of an ‘outer’ function E(S) accounting for inertial particle concentration enrichment along the stagnation line, and an ‘inner’ function F(Π, S) describing particle transport near the target. F(Π,S) is first computed here over its full range, (0 < Π < S