Drag on Janus Sphere in a Channel: Effect of Particle Position

Abstract

Potential use of Janus spheres in novel engineering applications is being explored actively in recent years. Hydrodynamics around Janus spheres is different from that around homogeneous sticky or slippery spheres. Instantaneous motion of a sphere in channel flow is governed by hydrodynamic force experienced by the sphere, which in turn depends on the particle to channel size ratio, its instantaneous position, hydrophobicity of its surface and the particle Reynolds number. We investigate numerically the drag experienced by a Janus sphere located at different off-centre positions in a square channel. Two orientations of Janus sphere consisting of a sticky and a slippery hemisphere with the boundary between them parallel to the channel mid-plane are studied: (1) slippery hemisphere facing the channel centreline and (2) sticky hemisphere facing the channel centreline. The flow field around Janus sphere is found to be steady (for Re ≤ 50 investigated in this work) and asymmetric. Based on the data obtained, a correlation for drag coefficient as a function of particle Reynolds number and dimensionless particle position is also proposed.