Numerical investigation of the effect of a magnetic field on the transport of oxygen in air
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Kruse, Alexis
Aleiferis, Pavlos
Giusti, Andrea
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The effects of magnetization forces in a binary mixture of gases characterized by large differences in magnetic susceptibility of species are studied using numerical simulations, with a focus on the differential diffusion of the species and the role of the gradient of mixture
composition on the flow field resulting from magnetically-induced forces. A quiescent binary mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, representative of air, confined between two parallel plates is considered. In all simulations, a gradient of B², the square of the magnetic flux density magnitude, uniform and directed normal to the walls is imposed. Cases characterized by different pressures, different strengths of ∇ (B²), and different initial gradients of species composition are investigated, while the same initial temperature is used in all cases. Non-dimensional groups related to the examined configuration are proposed. In cases characterized by an initially uniform mixture composition, species tend to separate and accumulate at opposite walls, due to differential magnetic forces arising from the differences in magnetic susceptibility. For a given strength of ∇ (B²), the effect of the magnetic field on the separation of species increases with decreasing pressure. In
addition to species separation, it is shown that an initial gradient in the mixture composition perpendicular to ∇ (B²) induces a significant change in the velocity field, which enhances the transport of species. This effect is due to a lack of alignment between the gradient of the
magnetic susceptibility of the mixture and ∇ (B²) and could be exploited to achieve targeted mixing using engineered magnetic fields.
composition on the flow field resulting from magnetically-induced forces. A quiescent binary mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, representative of air, confined between two parallel plates is considered. In all simulations, a gradient of B², the square of the magnetic flux density magnitude, uniform and directed normal to the walls is imposed. Cases characterized by different pressures, different strengths of ∇ (B²), and different initial gradients of species composition are investigated, while the same initial temperature is used in all cases. Non-dimensional groups related to the examined configuration are proposed. In cases characterized by an initially uniform mixture composition, species tend to separate and accumulate at opposite walls, due to differential magnetic forces arising from the differences in magnetic susceptibility. For a given strength of ∇ (B²), the effect of the magnetic field on the separation of species increases with decreasing pressure. In
addition to species separation, it is shown that an initial gradient in the mixture composition perpendicular to ∇ (B²) induces a significant change in the velocity field, which enhances the transport of species. This effect is due to a lack of alignment between the gradient of the
magnetic susceptibility of the mixture and ∇ (B²) and could be exploited to achieve targeted mixing using engineered magnetic fields.
Date Issued
2026-05-01
Date Acceptance
2026-04-03
Citation
Physics of Fluids, 2026, 38 (5)
ISSN
1070-6631
Publisher
American Institute of Physics
Journal / Book Title
Physics of Fluids
Volume
38
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2026 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
057112
Date Publish Online
2026-05-13