Rate of breakup of small inertial aggregates in homogeneous turbulence

The hydrodynamic breakup of small inertial aggregates in homogenous and isotropic turbulence is studied through numerical simulations. Small inertial aggregates are subject to shear stress caused by the local velocity gradient and drag stress caused by the relative velocity of the aggregate and the fluid flow. In our simulations, we follow aggregates moving through the flow and record the total stress acting on them. Breakup is assumed to occur when the total stress overcomes a predefined threshold representing the aggregate strength. By determining how long it takes for an aggregate to reach a stress exceeding its strength for the first time, we are able to derive a breakup rate. It is found that with increasing aggregate inertia, the drag stress rapidly becomes the dominant stress resulting in an increase of the breakup rate with increasing the aggregate inertia