Hydrodynamic properties of fractal flocs

Abstract

The flow field around two models of two-dimensional fractal flocs is numerically derived in the zero-Reynolds-number limit and macroscopic quantities such as the drag force exerted by the flow on the flocs are determined. In the range of parameters studied and within the precision of the numerical data, the corresponding dimensionless quantities are mostly functions of the gyration radius, the role of the fractal dimension, if any, is very weak and the average drag is very close to that relative to circular cylinders.