Lattice Boltzmann Simulations of Particle-Particle Interaction in Steady Poiseuille Flow

The moving behaviour of two- and three-particles in a pressure-driven flow is studied by the lattice Boltzmann simulation in two dimensions. The time-dependent values, including particles' radial positions, translational velocities, angular velocities, and the x-directional distance between the particles are analysed extensively. The effect of flow Reynolds number on particle motion is also investigated numerically. The simulation results show that the leading particle equilibrium position is closer to the channel centre while the trailing particle equilibrium position is closer to the channel wall. If Reynolds number Re is less than 85.30, the larger flow Reynolds number results in the smaller x-directional equilibrium distance, otherwise the x-directional distance increases almost linearly with the increase of time and the particles separate finally. The simulation results are helpful to understand the particle-particle interaction in suspensions with swarms of particles.