Thermophoretic deposition was investigated theoretically and experimentally using polydisperse submicron solid glass aerosols in an annular flow with fixed thermal gradients between two cylinders. The governing equations include the momentum and energy equations for the gas phase and the general dynamic equation (GDE) for the particle phase. Aerosol mechanisms included in the GDE ale convection, Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis. The solutions were derived based on an implicit finite difference approach. Simulation results suggest that thermophoretic deposition increases with increasing thermal gradient and deposition distance, hut decreases with increasing particle size and how rate. Experimental quantification of thermophoretic deposition was carried out in a prototype thermal cell consisting of two concentric cylinders with the capability of imposing a fixed thermal gradient between the cylinders. The measurements were with polydisperse solid glass aerosol using two optical counters. The effect of thermal gradients, flow rates, and cell orientation on thermophoretic deposition was examined. Thermal gradients covered in this study ranged from 60 to 150 K cm(-1). It was shown that thermophoretic deposition increases with increasing thermal gradient but decreases with increasing flow rate. Measurements with a vertical cell were stable for large particles but unstable for small particles. Comparison between experiments and simulations showed qualitative agreement with the theoretical model. The deposition in the vertical mode was substantially higher than that predicted by the model particularly at large thermal gradients. This may indicate the onset of instability. The measurements do not settle the dispute between the theories proposed by Derjaguin et al. (1976, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 57, 451-461) and Talbot et al. (1980, J. Fluid Mech. 101, 737-758). However, the difference between theoretically predicted deposition efficiency is too small in comparison with the magnitude of fluctuation in the aerosol source itself.
