Particle-Laden Turbulent Flow Dynamics

Particle-laden turbulent flows encompass the complex interactions between a carrier fluid in turbulent motion and dispersed solid or liquid particles. The dynamics are governed by a competition between turbulent eddies, which tend to disperse particles, and inertial forces that promote preferential concentration or clustering. Depending on particle size, density and fluid properties, phenomena such as turbophoresis, turbulence modulation and collision enhancement emerge. In environmental settings, these flows dictate the transport of atmospheric aerosols, volcanic ash and sedimenting droplets in clouds, with profound implications for air quality, climate modelling and precipitation formation. In industrial contexts, they underpin the design of fluidised beds, pneumatic conveyors and spray combustors, where efficient mixing, heat transfer and reaction rates rely on accurate prediction of particle dispersion, deposition and agglomeration. Recent advances in high-resolution simulations, laboratory measurements and theoretical models have shed light on multiscale coupling mechanisms, from the dissipation range near particle surfaces to the integral scales of turbulent eddies. Contemporary research now seeks to integrate point-particle approaches with interface-resolved methods, reconcile predictions across Reynolds and Stokes numbers and bridge the gap between idealised isotropic turbulence and wall-bounded, inhomogeneous geometries. The synergy of experimental diagnostics, direct numerical simulation and reduced-order modelling is yielding improved parametrisations for large-scale applications, offering pathways to mitigate pollution, optimise process technologies and enhance predictive capabilities in geophysical flows.

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Particle-Laden Turbulent Flow Dynamics publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in particle-laden turbulent flow dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Turbulent flow: A fluid regime characterised by chaotic, multiscale eddies and fluctuations in velocity and pressure.

Stokes number: A dimensionless ratio of particle response time to fluid timescale, indicating the degree of inertial decoupling from the flow.

Euler–Lagrange method: A simulation approach in which the fluid phase is treated in an Eulerian frame and individual particles are tracked in a Lagrangian frame.

Direct numerical simulation (DNS): A computational technique that resolves all relevant turbulent scales without subgrid approximations.

Turbophoresis: The tendency of inertial particles to migrate toward regions of lower turbulent intensity, often near boundaries.

References

1. Inertia Induces Strong Orientation Fluctuations of Nonspherical Atmospheric Particles. Physical Review Letters (2024).
2. Numerical modelling of the discharge behaviour of particles from a gas vessel. Results in Engineering (2023).
3. Interface-resolved simulations of small inertial particles in turbulent channel flow. Journal of Fluid Mechanics (2019).