A Stokesian dynamics approach for simulation of magnetic particle suspensions

The dynamic behaviour of μm-scale ferromagnetic particles in suspension is of interest for various mineral beneficiation processes. It is, however, difficult to experimentally study such processes at the particle-level. In these instances it can be advantageous to resort to suitable particle simulation methods.

Stokesian dynamics is a mesh-free numerical technique developed for suspensions of nm to mm size particles. The method inherently considers hydrodynamic interactions, but additional interaction models can be included depending on the system under investigation. We here present a Stokesian dynamics (SD) implementation, which allows for simulation of the motion of suspended magnetic particles in presence of an external magnetic field. The magnetic interaction model includes particle-field interactions as well as pairwise interactions between magnetised particles.

Simulations are compared with experiments using a laboratory-scale flow cell. The method is shown to be realistic for studying ferromagnetic suspensions in mineral processing applications, and can be useful in understanding and predicting the efficiency of mineral separation processes.