Collective dynamics of flowing colloids during pore clogging

Area of Science:

• Fluid dynamics
• Colloid science
• Materials science

Background:

• Understanding microparticle flow is crucial for applications like filtration and drug delivery.
• Clogging in porous media affects fluid transport and system efficiency.
• Hydrodynamic and colloidal interactions govern particle behavior in suspensions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mechanisms of 3D pore clogging by flowing microparticles.
• To analyze the role of particle concentration and surface interactions in clogging patterns.
• To elucidate the impact of Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) forces on microparticle aggregation and pore blockage.

Main Methods:

• Direct numerical simulations of coupled fluid-particle motion.
• Modeling of microparticle suspensions flowing through a pore.
• Analysis of particle concentration, surface interactions, and DLVO forces.

Main Results:

• Particle concentration and surface interactions significantly influence bridging and clogging.
• In absence of DLVO forces, permeability decreases with increasing volume fraction up to 20%.
• DLVO forces induce transitions from dendritic to dense aggregates, forming a jamming (Wigner glass) phase.
• Jamming phase build-up and collapse cause temporal permeability fluctuations and potential pore blockage.

Conclusions:

• Collective particle behavior, driven by hydrodynamic and colloidal forces, dictates pore clogging patterns.
• DLVO repulsive forces are critical in forming jamming phases and influencing clogging dynamics.
• The interplay between particle-particle and particle-wall interactions determines the transition from jamming to rapid pore blockage.