A Monte Carlo Method applied to the resuspension of small particles

BENITO, J. G.; VALENZUELA ARACENA, K. A.; R.O. UÑAC; I. IPPOLITO; A. M. VIDALES

Paris

Conferencia; Condensed Matter in Paris JMC14 - CMD25; 2014

This work describes the resuspension of small particles originally deposited onto a flat surface. The presence of this phenomenon in a wide set of industrial and environmental scenarios makes its study and description an important chapter in aerosol science. In particular, one of the main concerns has been to obtain perfectly clean surfaces for micro and nanoelectronic technology. In addition, there is the problem of radioactive particles released to the environment during nuclear accidents [1-3]. Although the problem has been largely studied, it is still not well understood the role that the different adhesion force parameters play in the resuspension rate of particles. A simulation using a Monte Carlo (MC) technique is used to set a simple model that will take into account the force balance between the adhesion of the particles to the surface and the strength of the burst of a turbulent flow acting on them. The aim of the study is to compare the results of the present model with the already reported ones from other authors. Results show that our stochastic model qualitatively describes quite well the resuspension rates reported by other authors.