Heavy particle dispersion from a point source in turbulent pipe flow

Dispersion of heavy particles from a point source in high-Reynolds pipe flow was studied using large-eddy simulation, LES. A stochastic Langevin type Lagrangian model developed by Berrouk et al. was used to account for heavy particle transport by the sub-grid scale motion. In both the LES and in an experiment by Arnason, the larger particles dispersed more than the small ones. The change in diffusivity with particle size is interpreted in terms of the effect of inertia and cross-trajectory effects and qualitatively compared with the analysis of heavy particle dispersion in isotropic turbulence by Wang and Stock. Particle inertia has a much larger influence on the dispersion than the crossing-trajectories effects. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd.