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The National Science Foundation
ME 437 The National Science Foundation
 Aerosols
Introduction to Aerosols | Drag, Lift Forces | Aerosol Kinetics | Virtual Mass, Basset Forces & BBO Equation | Nonspherical Particles | Brownian Motions | Particle Deposition Mechanisms | Electrodynamics | Aerosol Coagulation |

Introduction

Aerosols are present in virtually every aspect of life. From small and mid-range scale industrial processes, such as those producing glass particles, large scale processes, such as environmental pollution, dust storms and hurricanes, to even such large-scale processes as the formation of stars, interactions involving aerosols form an important part of the world around us.

Aerosols Example - Smog Aerosols Example - Particle Trajectories - Filter Vessel Aerosols Example - Glass Particles Aerosols Example - Dust Storm Aerosols Example - Star Formation

Definition:

An aerosol is a suspension of solid or liquid particles in a gas. Dust, smoke, mists, fog, haze, and smog are various forms of common aerosols. Aerosol particles are found in different shapes (isometrics, platelets, and fibers) and different sizes. For irregular shaped particles, different equivalent diameters are defined. Examples of equivalent diameters include
  • equivalent area diameter,
  • Feret’s diameter (the maximum distance edge to edge),
  • Stoke’s diameter (the diameter of a sphere with the same density and the same velocity as the particle),
  • hydrodynamic diameter (the diameter of a sphere with the density of water and the same velocity as the particle).

The range of diameters of common aerosol particles is between 0.01 and 100 µm. The lower limit of 10 nm roughly corresponds to the transition from molecule to particle. Particles larger than 100 µm normally do not remain suspended in air for a sufficient amount of time. Noting that the mean free path for air is about 0.07 µm and visible light has a wavelength band of 0.4 – 0.7 µm, the mechanical and optical behaviors of particles are significantly affected by their size.



Dr. Goodarz Ahmadi | Turbulence & Multiphase Fluid Flow Laboratory | Department of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering
Copyright © 2002-2005 Dr. Goodarz Ahmadi. All rights reserved.
Potsdam, New York, 13699
ahmadi@clarkson.edu