Experimental study of turbulence-induced coalescence in aerosols

In this paper, measurements of the rate of aerosol coalescence in a well characterized turbulent flow are presented. The time dependence of the aerosol droplets’ mean radius upon initiation of flow in an oscillating grid generated turbulence chamber is determined using a phase-Doppler method. Together with a measurement of the aerosol number density from a light attenuation probe, the observed rate of change of the aerosol droplets’ mean radius can be related to the rate constant for the coalescence of two droplets. The Kolmogorov shear rate, which is the primary parameter in theories predicting coalescence rate, is determined from measurements of the root-mean-square fluctuating velocity and the integral length scale. Our experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions, obtained by solving of the population balance equation. Various expressions are considered for the coalescence rate constant to be used in the population balance equation. First, we considered various combinations of ideal coalescence rate constants, i.e. obtained theoretically neglecting particle interactions. Our data are then found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions that take into account the simultaneous effects of turbulent shear induced and Brownian motion induced coalescence. Second, our results are compared with a theory that considers the effects of turbulent shear and Brownian motion as well as the non-continuum hydrodynamic and van der Waals interparticle interactions. The measured experimental values are generally 50–100% higher than those predicted by this theory. This discrepancy could be explained by the small polydispersity of the aerosol which may result in coalescence induced by differential sedimentation and turbulent acceleration.