Bhavin Dalal

Spontaneous dispersion of particles on liquid surfaces

When small particles (e.g., flour, pollen, etc.) come in contact with a liquid surface, they immediately disperse. The dispersion can occur so quickly that it appears explosive, especially for small particles on the surface of mobile liquids like water. This explosive dispersion is the consequence of capillary force pulling particles into the interface causing them to accelerate to a relatively large velocity. The maximum velocity increases with decreasing particle size; for nanometer-sized particles (e.g., viruses and proteins), the velocity on an air-water interface can be as large as ≈47 m/s. We also show that particles oscillate at a relatively high frequency about their floating equilibrium before coming to stop under viscous drag. The observed dispersion is a result of strong repulsive hydrodynamic forces that arise because of these oscillations.

Transient Flow Induced by the Adsorption of Particles

When small particles, e.g., glass, flour, pollen, etc., come in contact with a fluid-liquid interface they disperse so quickly to form a monolayer on the interface that it appears explosive, especially on the surface of mobile liquids like water. This is a consequence of the fact that the adsorption of a particle in an interface causes a lateral flow on the interface away from the particle. In this study we use the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique to measure the transient three-dimensional flow that arises due to the adsorption of spherical particles. The PIV measurements show that the flow develops a fraction of a second after the adsorption of the particle and then persists for several seconds. The fluid below the particle rises upwards and on the surface moves away from the particle. These latter PIV results are consistent with the surface-velocity measurements performed in earlier studies. The strength of the induced flow, and the time duration for which the flow persists, both decrease with decreasing particle size.Copyright

Modeling of Blood Flow in the Human Brain

Under normal conditions, Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) is related to the metabolism of the cerebral tissue. Three factors that contribute significantly to the regulation of CBF include the carbon dioxide and hydrogen ion concentration, oxygen deficiency and the level of cerebral activity. These regulatory mechanisms ensure a constant CBF of 50 to 55 ml per 100g of brain per minute for mean arterial blood pressure between 60–180 mm Hg. Under severe conditions when the autoregulatory mechanism fails to compensate, sympathetic nervous system constricts the large and intermediate sized arteries and prevents very high pressure from ever reaching the smaller blood vessels, preventing the occurrence of vascular hemorrhage. Several invasive and non-invasive techniques such as pressure and thermoelectric effect sensors to Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based profusion techniques have been used to quantify CBF. However, the effects of the non-Newtonian properties of blood, i.e., shear thinning and viscoelasticity, can have a significant influence on the distribution of CBF in the human brain and are poorly understood. The aim of this work is to quantify the role played by the non-Newtonian nature of blood on CBF. We have developed mathematical models of CBF that use direct numerical simulations (DNS) for the individual capillaries along with the experimental data in a one-dimensional model to determine the flow rate and the methods for regulating CBF. The model also allows us to determine which regions of the brain would be affected more severely under these conditions.Copyright

Modeling of Particles Dispersion on Liquid Surfaces

When small particles (e.g., flour, pollen, etc.) come in contact with a liquid surface, they immediately disperse. The dispersion can occur so quickly that it appears explosive, especially for small particles on the surface of mobile liquids like water. This explosive-like dispersion is the consequence of capillary forces pulling particles into the interface causing them to accelerate to a relatively large velocity. The maximum velocity increases with decreasing particle size; for nanometer-sized particles (e.g., viruses and proteins), the velocity on an air-water interface can be as large as 47 m/s. We also show that particles oscillate at a relatively-high frequency about their floating equilibrium before coming to stop under viscous drag. The observed dispersion is a result of strong repulsive hydrodynamic forces that arise because of these oscillations.Copyright