Suspend and trap particles with a positive contrast ratio and investigate the effect of volume in a liquid medium by the acoustophoretic phenomenon

Ultrasonic suspension can be used for a wider range of particles due to its independence from the material and its properties, For the possibility of suspension, and has a high potential for the transfer and movement of particles in a controlled manner. Suspension and separation of particles are due to acoustic force. Two parameters namely acoustic contrast factor and volume of particle are more effective in magnitude of this force. The first determines the direction of particle movement towards the node or antinode and increasing the volume of particles causes to increase acoustic force and thus increasing the velocity of particles in the fluid medium. In this paper, simulations were performed by solving the equations of wave and acoustic pressure in a fluid medium and tracking particles in the fluid flow from the inlet. Then, using the simulation results, a laboratory set-up was designed and fabricated. According to results, a good agreement was observed between the simulation and experiment data. Polystyrene and ABS particles were suspended in water and the velocity of larger particles increased.