Floating particles transport through the free surface vortex technique: A novel numerical study to assess the interaction among different scales of vortex structures

Fat, oil, and grease (FOG) floating particles in the sump of sewage pumping stations will accumulate together to form rigid layers, resulting in failure for pump device. To overcome this, the free surface vortex (FSV) technique has been considered and applied to transport floating particles toward the submerged suction pump inlet. This paper investigates the potential of vortices as a means of downward motion of FOG. The entrainment capacity of FSV is investigated by numerical simulations using a coupled level-set and volume-of-fluid method. Two coherent structures are decomposed by proper orthogonal decomposition: FSV represented by the first two orders with high energy content and spiral vortex bands represented by low energy and high order models. The extracted ridges of the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) delineate different regions of the flow field and effectively capture the evolution of Lagrangian coherent structures. The floating particles in the sump are first caught by the dividing line formed by the FTLE ridges, mixed in the entrainment zone, and then merged into the vortex. The enstrophy production term dominates the development of vorticity. Subject to the influence of flow velocity gradients, both radial and tangential vortices undergo a transition into axial vortices. This transformation enhances the vortex's capacity to entrain particles within the vortex core area, leading to their rapid inward spiraling toward the vortex center and eventual expulsion due to the vortex's entrainment effect.