The interactions between small dense particles and fluid turbulence have been investigated in a downflow fully developed channel in air. Particle velocities of, and fluid velocities in the presence of, 50 μm glass, 90 μm glass and 70 μm copper spherical beads were measured by laser Doppler anemometry, at particle mass loadings up to 80%. These particles were smaller than the Kolmogorov lengthscale of the flow and could respond to some but not all of the scales of turbulent motion. Streamwise mean particle velocity profiles were flatter than the mean fluid velocity profile, which was unmodified by particle loading. Particle velocity fluctuation intensities were larger than the unladen-fluid turbulence intensity in the streamwise direction but were smaller in the transverse direction. Fluid turbulence was attenuated by the addition of particles; the degree of attenuation increased with particle Stokes number, particle mass loading and distance from the wall. Turbulence was more strongly attenuated in the transverse than in the streamwise direction, because the turbulence energy is at higher frequencies in the transverse direction. Streamwise turbulence attenuation displayed a range of preferred frequencies where attenuation was strongest.

An investigation of the instantaneous particle concentration at the centerline of a turbulent channel flow has been conducted. The concentration field was obtained by digitizing photographs of particles illuminated by a spanwise laser sheet and identifying individual particles. The resulting distribution was then compared to the expected distribution for the same number of particles randomly distributed throughout the volume. Significant departures from randomness have been found and the differences are strongly dependent on the time constants of the particles. Five different particle classes were investigated and the maximum departure from randomness was found when the ratio of the particle’s aerodynamic response time to the Kolmogorov time scale of the flow was approximately one. The length scales of the particle clusters were found to change with the particle size. The correlation dimension was used to produce a single parameter describing the degree of concentration regardless of the scale on which it occurs. The spacing between particle clusters was also investigated and found to be much larger than the scales on which concentration occurs.