Grouping Principles and Applications

Abstract: Grouping of particles/droplets in oscillating flows has ramifications to various industrial and natural two-phase flows, such as: droplets subjected to various kinds of flows, particulate matter (PM) emitted from engines, colloids/sediments in water, aerosols carrying viruses, and medical and atmospheric aerosols. The mathematical and CFD analysis of this phenomenon leads to the prediction of grouping tendency as a function of the parameters that play a role in the process. The considered oscillations are of low and high frequencies, representing flow and acoustic waves. Such waves, when they are employed on a particle size distribution, may produce an increase of particle size in a specific size-range due to grouping, so that the filtration becomes efficient. A demonstration of this methodology, with its modelling and CFD, will be presented in the cases of engine exhaust, indoor-air purifying system, removal of secretions from the respiratory system, as well as removal of sub-micron particles from water.

Bio: David Katoshevski is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of Israel. He is the Chairman of the Israeli Association for Combustion Research, and heads the program for Environmental Engineering. He studied at the Technion in Israel, where his BSc and MSc degrees where in Aerospace Engineering and his PhD in Applied Mathematics. He had two postdoc periods, at RWTH-Aachen where he focused on spray combustion, and at Caltechwhere he worked on atmospheric aerosols. Since 1998 David is at BGU and his research is in two-phase flows, spray combustion, air pollution control, aerosol inhalation/ exhalation, and water treatment.