A New Hybrid Pore-Scale Simulation Method to Characterize Nanoparticles Transport and Attachment Behaviors

A hybrid pore-scale simulation method using Lattice-Boltzmann (LB) coupled with Langevin-Dynamics (LD) is proposed to investigate the transport physics of nanoparticles in microchannel. The controlling factors (i.e., ionic strength, particle diameter and Reynolds number) are investigated in the attachment process of NPs. It is observed that a threshold value of attachment efficiency exists as the ionic strength increases to about 0.01 M. Moreover, the ionic strength of aqueous phase has critical effect on the transport behavior of NPs. For the purpose of quantitatively characterizing the structure of NP suspensions under varying conditions, a general phase diagram including three flow patterns (isolated, transitional and clustered regime) is first proposed for NP suspension with specified ionic strength and Reynolds number. The outcomes of this work provide valuable insight on the critical importance of the particle size, ionic strength and hydrodynamic effects on the attachment and transport process of NPs in porous media