Tracer diffusion in granular shear flows

Rheology of granular particles immersed in a molecular gas under uniform shear flow

Non-Newtonian transport properties of a dilute gas of inelastic hard spheres immersed in a molecular gas are determined. We assume that the granular gas is sufficiently rarefied, and hence the state of the molecular gas is not disturbed by the presence of the solid particles. In this situation, one can treat the molecular gas as a bath (or thermostat) of elastic hard spheres at a given temperature. Moreover, in spite of the fact that the number density of grains is quite small, we take into account their inelastic collisions among themselves in its kinetic equation. The system (granular gas plus a bath of elastic hard spheres) is subjected to a simple (or uniform) shear flow. In the low-density regime, the rheological properties of the granular gas are determined by solving the Boltzmann kinetic equation by means of Grad's moment method. These properties turn out to be highly nonlinear functions of the shear rate and the remaining parameters of the system. Our results show that the kinetic granular temperature and the non-Newtonian viscosity present a discontinuous shear thickening effect for sufficiently high values of the mass ratio m/m_{g} (m and m_{g} being the mass of grains and gas particles, respectively). This effect becomes more pronounced as the mass ratio m/m_{g} increases. In particular, in the Brownian limit (m/m_{g}→∞) the expressions of the non-Newtonian transport properties derived here are consistent with those previously obtained by considering a coarse-grained approach where the effect of gas phase on grains is through an effective force. Theoretical results are compared against computer simulations, showing an excellent agreement.

Self-diffusion in inhomogeneous granular shearing flows

In this Letter, we discuss how flow inhomogeneity affects the self-diffusion behavior in granular flows. Whereas self-diffusion scalings have been well characterized in the past for homogeneous shearing, the effect of shear localization and nonlocality of the flow has not been studied. We, therefore, present measurements of self-diffusion coefficients in discrete numerical simulations of steady, inhomogeneous, and collisional shearing flows of nearly identical, frictional, and inelastic spheres. We focus on a wide range of dense solid volume fractions, that correspond to geophysical and industrial shearing flows that are dominated by collisional interactions. We compare the measured values first with a scaling based on shear rate and, then, on a scaling based on the granular temperature. We find that the latter does much better than the former in collapsing the data. The results lay the foundations of diffusion models for inhomogeneous shearing flows, which should be useful in treating problems of mixing and segregation.

Mpemba effect in inertial suspensions

The Mpemba effect (a counterintuitive thermal relaxation process where an initially hotter system may cool down to the steady state sooner than an initially colder system) is studied in terms of a model of inertial suspensions under shear. The relaxation to a common steady state of a suspension initially prepared in a quasiequilibrium state is compared with that of a suspension initially prepared in a nonequilibrium sheared state. Two classes of Mpemba effect are identified, the normal and the anomalous one. The former is generic, in the sense that the kinetic temperature starting from a cold nonequilibrium sheared state is overtaken by the one starting from a hot quasiequilibrium state, due to the absence of initial viscous heating in the latter, resulting in a faster initial cooling. The anomalous Mpemba effect is opposite to the normal one since, despite the initial slower cooling of the nonequilibrium sheared state, it can eventually overtake an initially colder quasiequilibrium state. The theoretical results based on kinetic theory agree with those obtained from event-driven simulations for inelastic hard spheres. It is also confirmed the existence of the inverse Mpemba effect, which is a peculiar heating process, in these suspensions. More particularly, we find the existence of a mixed process in which both heating and cooling can be observed during relaxation.

Enskog kinetic theory of rheology for a moderately dense inertial suspension

The Enskog kinetic theory for moderately dense inertial suspensions under simple shear flow is considered as a model to analyze the rheological properties of the system. The influence of the background fluid on suspended particles is modeled via a viscous drag force plus a Langevin-like term defined in terms of the background temperature. In a previous paper [Hayakawa et al., Phys. Rev. E 96, 042903 (2017)10.1103/PhysRevE.96.042903], Grad's moment method with the aid of a linear shear-rate expansion was employed to obtain a theory which gave good agreement with the results of event-driven Langevin simulations of hard spheres for low densities and/or small shear rates. Nevertheless, the previous approach had a limitation of not being applicable to the high-shear-rate and high-density regime. Thus, in the present paper, we extend the previous work and develop Grad's theory including higher-order terms in the shear rate. This improves significantly the theoretical predictions, a quantitative agreement between theory and simulation being found in the high-density region (volume fractions smaller than or equal to 0.4).

Rheology of dilute cohesive granular gases

Rheology of a dilute cohesive granular gas is theoretically and numerically studied. The flow curve between the shear viscosity and the shear rate is derived from the inelastic Boltzmann equation for particles having square-well potentials in a simple shear flow. It is found that (i) the stable uniformly sheared state only exists above a critical shear rate and (ii) the viscosity in the uniformly sheared flow is almost identical to that for uniformly sheared flow of hard core granular particles. Below the critical shear rate, clusters grow with time, in which the viscosity can be approximated by that for the hard-core fluids if we replace the diameter of the particle by the mean diameter of clusters.

Kinetic theory of shear thickening for a moderately dense gas-solid suspension: From discontinuous thickening to continuous thickening

The Enskog kinetic theory for moderately dense gas-solid suspensions under simple shear flow is considered as a model to analyze the rheological properties of the system. The influence of the environmental fluid on solid particles is modeled via a viscous drag force plus a stochastic Langevin-like term. The Enskog equation is solved by means of two independent but complementary routes: (i) Grad's moment method and (ii) event-driven Langevin simulation of hard spheres. Both approaches clearly show that the flow curve (stress-strain rate relation) depends significantly on the volume fraction of the solid particles. In particular, as the density increases, there is a transition from the discontinuous shear thickening (observed in dilute gases) to the continuous shear thickening for denser systems. The comparison between theory and simulations indicates that while the theoretical predictions for the kinetic temperature agree well with simulations for densities φ≲0.5, the agreement for the other rheological quantities (the viscosity, the stress ratio, and the normal stress differences) is limited to more moderate densities (φ≲0.3) if the inelasticity during collisions between particles is not large.

Shear-rate-dependent transport coefficients in granular suspensions

A recent model for monodisperse granular suspensions is used to analyze transport properties in spatially inhomogeneous states close to the simple (or uniform) shear flow. The kinetic equation is based on the inelastic Boltzmann (for low-density gases) with the presence of a viscous drag force that models the influence of the interstitial gas phase on the dynamics of grains. A normal solution is obtained via a Chapman-Enskog-like expansion around a (local) shear flow distribution which retains all the hydrodynamic orders in the shear rate. To first order in the expansion, the transport coefficients characterizing momentum and heat transport around shear flow are given in terms of the solutions of a set of coupled linear integral equations which are approximately solved by using a kinetic model of the Boltzmann equation. To simplify the analysis, the steady-state conditions when viscous heating is compensated by the cooling terms arising from viscous friction and collisional dissipation are considered to get the explicit forms of the set of generalized transport coefficients. The shear-rate dependence of some of the transport coefficients of the set is illustrated for several values of the coefficient of restitution.

Generalized transport coefficients for inelastic Maxwell mixtures under shear flow

The Boltzmann equation framework for inelastic Maxwell models is considered to determine the transport coefficients associated with the mass, momentum, and heat fluxes of a granular binary mixture in spatially inhomogeneous states close to the simple shear flow. The Boltzmann equation is solved by means of a Chapman-Enskog-type expansion around the (local) shear flow distributions f(r)(0) for each species that retain all the hydrodynamic orders in the shear rate. Due to the anisotropy induced by the shear flow, tensorial quantities are required to describe the transport processes instead of the conventional scalar coefficients. These tensors are given in terms of the solutions of a set of coupled equations, which can be analytically solved as functions of the shear rate a, the coefficients of restitution α(rs), and the parameters of the mixture (masses, diameters, and composition). Since the reference distribution functions f(r)(0) apply for arbitrary values of the shear rate and are not restricted to weak dissipation, the corresponding generalized coefficients turn out to be nonlinear functions of both a and α(rs). The dependence of the relevant elements of the three diffusion tensors on both the shear rate and dissipation is illustrated in the tracer limit case, the results showing that the deviation of the generalized transport coefficients from their forms for vanishing shear rates is in general significant. A comparison with the previous results obtained analytically for inelastic hard spheres by using Grad's moment method is carried out, showing a good agreement over a wide range of values for the coefficients of restitution. Finally, as an application of the theoretical expressions derived here for the transport coefficients, thermal diffusion segregation of an intruder immersed in a granular gas is also studied.

Hydrodynamic granular segregation induced by boundary heating and shear

Segregation induced by a thermal gradient of an impurity in a driven low-density granular gas is studied. The system is enclosed between two parallel walls from which we input thermal energy to the gas. We study here steady states occurring when the inelastic cooling is exactly balanced by some external energy input (stochastic force or viscous heating), resulting in a uniform heat flux. A segregation criterion based on Navier-Stokes granular hydrodynamics is written in terms of the tracer diffusion transport coefficients, whose dependence on the parameters of the system (masses, sizes, and coefficients of restitution) is explicitly determined from a solution of the inelastic Boltzmann equation. The theoretical predictions are validated by means of Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations, showing that Navier-Stokes hydrodynamics produces accurate segregation criteria even under strong shearing and/or inelasticity.

Rheological effects in the linear response and spontaneous fluctuations of a sheared granular gas

The decay of a small homogeneous perturbation in the temperature of a dilute granular gas in the steady uniform shear flow state is investigated. Using kinetic theory based on the inelastic Boltzmann equation, a closed equation for the decay of the perturbation is derived. The equation involves the generalized shear viscosity of the gas in the time-dependent shear flow state, and therefore, it predicts relevant rheological effects beyond the quasielastic limit. Good agreement is found when comparing the theory with molecular dynamics simulation results. Moreover, the Onsager postulate on the regression of fluctuations is fulfilled.

Unsteady non-Newtonian hydrodynamics in granular gases

The temporal evolution of a dilute granular gas, both in a compressible flow (uniform longitudinal flow) and in an incompressible flow (uniform shear flow), is investigated by means of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method to solve the Boltzmann equation. Emphasis is laid on the identification of a first "kinetic" stage (where the physical properties are strongly dependent on the initial state) subsequently followed by an unsteady "hydrodynamic" stage (where the momentum fluxes are well-defined non-Newtonian functions of the rate of strain). The simulation data are seen to support this two-stage scenario. Furthermore, the rheological functions obtained from simulation are well described by an approximate analytical solution of a model kinetic equation.

Impurity in a sheared inelastic Maxwell gas

The Boltzmann equation for inelastic Maxwell models is considered in order to investigate the dynamics of an impurity (or intruder) immersed in a granular gas driven by a uniform shear flow. The analysis is based on an exact solution of the Boltzmann equation for a granular binary mixture. It applies for conditions arbitrarily far from equilibrium (arbitrary values of the shear rate a) and for arbitrary values of the parameters of the mixture (particle masses m(i), mole fractions x(i), and coefficients of restitution α(ij)). In the tracer limit where the mole fraction of the intruder species vanishes, a nonequilibrium phase transition takes place. We thereby identify ordered phases where the intruder bears a finite contribution to the properties of the mixture, in a region of parameter space that is worked out in detail. These findings extend previous results obtained for ordinary Maxwell gases, and further show that dissipation leads to new ordered phases.

Shear-induced self-diffusion of inertial particles in a viscous fluid

We propose a theoretical prediction of the self-diffusion tensor of inertial particles embedded in a viscous fluid. The derivation of the model is based on the kinetic theory for granular media including the effects of finite particle inertia and drag. The self-diffusion coefficients are expressed in terms of the components of the kinetic stress tensor in a general formulation. The model is valid from dilute to dense suspensions and its accuracy is verified in a pure shear flow. The theoretical prediction is compared to simulations of discrete particle trajectories assuming Stokes drag and binary collisions. We show that the prediction of the self-diffusion tensor is accurate provided that the kinetic stress components are correctly predicted.

Transport coefficients for an inelastic gas around uniform shear flow: linear stability analysis

The inelastic Boltzmann equation for a granular gas is applied to spatially inhomogeneous states close to uniform shear flow. A normal solution is obtained via a Chapman-Enskog-like expansion around a local shear flow distribution. The heat and momentum fluxes are determined to first order in the deviations of the hydrodynamic field gradients from their values in the reference state. The corresponding transport coefficients are determined from a set of coupled linear integral equations which are approximately solved by using a kinetic model of the Boltzmann equation. The main new ingredient in this expansion is that the reference state f(0) (zeroth-order approximation) retains all the hydrodynamic orders in the shear rate. In addition, since the collisional cooling cannot be compensated locally for viscous heating, the distribution f(0) depends on time through its dependence on temperature. This means that in general, for a given degree of inelasticity, the complete nonlinear dependence of the transport coefficients on the shear rate requires analysis of the unsteady hydrodynamic behavior. To simplify the analysis, the steady-state conditions have been considered here in order to perform a linear stability analysis of the hydrodynamic equations with respect to the uniform shear flow state. Conditions for instabilities at long wavelengths are identified and discussed.

System of elastic hard spheres which mimics the transport properties of a granular gas

The prototype model of a fluidized granular system is a gas of inelastic hard spheres (IHS) with a constant coefficient of normal restitution alpha. Using a kinetic theory description we investigate the two basic ingredients that a model of elastic hard spheres (EHS) must have in order to mimic the most relevant transport properties of the underlying IHS gas. First, the EHS gas is assumed to be subject to the action of an effective drag force with a friction constant equal to half the cooling rate of the IHS gas, the latter being evaluated in the local equilibrium approximation for simplicity. Second, the collision rate of the EHS gas is reduced by a factor (1/2)(1+alpha), relative to that of the IHS gas. Comparison between the respective Navier-Stokes transport coefficients shows that the EHS model reproduces almost perfectly the self-diffusion coefficient and reasonably well the two transport coefficients defining the heat flux, the shear viscosity being reproduced within a deviation less than 14% (for alpha > or = 0.5). Moreover, the EHS model is seen to agree with the fundamental collision integrals of inelastic mixtures and dense gases. The approximate equivalence between IHS and EHS is used to propose kinetic models for inelastic collisions as simple extensions of known kinetic models for elastic collisions.

Uniform shear flow in dissipative gases: computer simulations of inelastic hard spheres and frictional elastic hard spheres

In the preceding paper, we have conjectured that the main transport properties of a dilute gas of inelastic hard spheres (IHSs) can be satisfactorily captured by an equivalent gas of elastic hard spheres (EHSs), provided that the latter are under the action of an effective drag force and their collision rate is reduced by a factor (1+alpha)/2 (where alpha is the constant coefficient of normal restitution). In this paper we test the above expectation in a paradigmatic nonequilibrium state, namely, the simple or uniform shear flow, by performing Monte Carlo computer simulations of the Boltzmann equation for both classes of dissipative gases with a dissipation range 0.5 < or = alpha < or = 0.95 and two values of the imposed shear rate a. It is observed that the evolution toward the steady state proceeds in two stages: a short kinetic stage (strongly dependent on the initial preparation of the system) followed by a slower hydrodynamic regime that becomes increasingly less dependent on the initial state. Once conveniently scaled, the intrinsic quantities in the hydrodynamic regime depend on time, at a given value of alpha, only through the reduced shear rate a*(t) is proportional to a/square root(T(t)), until a steady state, independent of the imposed shear rate and of the initial preparation, is reached. The distortion of the steady-state velocity distribution from the local equilibrium state is measured by the shear stress, the normal stress differences, the cooling rate, the fourth and sixth cumulants, and the shape of the distribution itself. In particular, the simulation results seem to be consistent with an exponential overpopulation of the high-velocity tail. These properties are common to both the IHS and EHS systems. In addition, the EHS results are in general hardly distinguishable from the IHS ones if alpha approximately > 0.7, so that the distinct signature of the IHS gas (higher anisotropy and overpopulation) only manifests itself at relatively high dissipations.

Rheology of dense polydisperse granular fluids under shear

The solution of the Enskog equation for the one-body velocity distribution of a moderately dense arbitrary mixture of inelastic hard spheres undergoing planar shear flow is described. A generalization of the Grad moment method, implemented by means of a novel generating function technique, is used so as to avoid any assumptions concerning the size of the shear rate. The result is illustrated by using it to calculate the pressure, normal stresses, and shear viscosity of a model polydisperse granular fluid in which grain size, mass, and coefficient of restitution vary among the grains. The results are compared to a numerical solution of the Enskog equation as well as molecular-dynamics simulations. Most bulk properties are well described by the Enskog theory and it is shown that the generalized moment method is more accurate than the simple (Grad) moment method. However, the description of the distribution of temperatures in the mixture predicted by Enskog theory does not compare well to simulation, even at relatively modest densities.

Inherent rheology of a granular fluid in uniform shear flow

In contrast to normal fluids, a granular fluid under shear supports a steady state with uniform temperature and density since the collisional cooling can compensate locally for viscous heating. It is shown that the hydrodynamic description of this steady state is inherently non-Newtonian. As a consequence, the Newtonian shear viscosity cannot be determined from experiments or simulation of uniform shear flow. For a given degree of inelasticity, the complete nonlinear dependence of the shear viscosity on the shear rate requires the analysis of the unsteady hydrodynamic behavior. The relationship to the Chapman-Enskog method to derive hydrodynamics is clarified using an approximate Grad's solution of the Boltzmann kinetic equation.

Self-diffusion in dense granular shear flows

Diffusivity is a key quantity in describing velocity fluctuations in granular materials. These fluctuations are the basis of many thermodynamic and hydrodynamic models which aim to provide a statistical description of granular systems. We present experimental results on diffusivity in dense, granular shear flows in a two-dimensional Couette geometry. We find that self-diffusivities D are proportional to the local shear rate gamma; with diffusivities along the direction of the mean flow approximately twice as large as those in the perpendicular direction. The magnitude of the diffusivity is D approximately gamma;a(2), where a is the particle radius. However, the gradient in shear rate, coupling to the mean flow, and strong drag at the moving boundary lead to particle displacements that can appear subdiffusive or superdiffusive. In particular, diffusion appears to be superdiffusive along the mean flow direction due to Taylor dispersion effects and subdiffusive along the perpendicular direction due to the gradient in shear rate. The anisotropic force network leads to an additional anisotropy in the diffusivity that is a property of dense systems and has no obvious analog in rapid flows. Specifically, the diffusivity is suppressed along the direction of the strong force network. A simple random walk simulation reproduces the key features of the data, such as the apparent superdiffusive and subdiffusive behavior arising from the mean velocity field, confirming the underlying diffusive motion. The additional anisotropy is not observed in the simulation since the strong force network is not included. Examples of correlated motion, such as transient vortices, and Lévy flights are also observed. Although correlated motion creates velocity fields which are qualitatively different from collisional Brownian motion and can introduce nondiffusive effects, on average the system appears simply diffusive.

Diffusion of impurities in a granular gas

Diffusion of impurities in a granular gas undergoing homogeneous cooling state is studied. The results are obtained by solving the Boltzmann-Lorentz equation by means of the Chapman-Enskog method. In the first order in the density gradient of impurities, the diffusion coefficient D is determined as the solution of a linear integral equation which is approximately solved by making an expansion in Sonine polynomials. In this paper, we evaluate D up to the second order in the Sonine expansion and get explicit expressions for D in terms of the coefficients of restitution for the impurity-gas and gas-gas collisions as well as the ratios of mass and particle sizes. To check the reliability of the Sonine polynomial solution, analytical results are compared with those obtained from numerical solutions of the Boltzmann equation by means of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. In the simulations, the diffusion coefficient is measured via the mean-square displacement of impurities. The comparison between theory and simulation shows in general an excellent agreement, except for the cases in which the gas particles are much heavier and/or much larger than impurities. In these cases, the second Sonine approximation to D improves significantly the qualitative predictions made from the first Sonine approximation. A discussion on the convergence of the Sonine polynomial expansion is also carried out.

Granular fluid thermostated by a bath of elastic hard spheres

The homogeneous steady state of a fluid of inelastic hard spheres immersed in a bath of elastic hard spheres kept at equilibrium is analyzed by means of the first Sonine approximation to the (spatially homogeneous) Enskog-Boltzmann equation. The temperature of the granular fluid relative to the bath temperature and the kurtosis of the granular distribution function are obtained as functions of the coefficient of restitution, the mass ratio, and a dimensionless parameter beta measuring the cooling rate relative to the friction constant. Comparison with recent results obtained from an iterative numerical solution of the Enskog-Boltzmann equation [Biben et al., Physica A 310, 308 (2002)] shows an excellent agreement. Several limiting cases are also considered. In particular, when the granular particles are much heavier than the bath particles (but have a comparable size and number density), it is shown that the bath acts as a white noise external driving. In the general case, the Sonine approximation predicts the lack of a steady state if the control parameter beta is larger than a certain critical value beta(c) that depends on the coefficient of restitution and the mass ratio. However, this phenomenon appears outside the expected domain of applicability of the approximation.