I'm trying to model the flow and suspension of microcarriers (particles that are used as surfaces for cells to attach to and grow on) in a CFD application. I know some basic characteristics of the particles (they're called "Cytodex", about 180 µm big, density is 1.03g/cm^2) but I'd like to find the Stokes number to determine how strongly they are affected by turbulence and movement of the fluid. Can somebody point me to how to approach this (or at least approximate?). It's surprisingly hard to find any information for somebody like me who hasn't got a very strong background in fluid mechanics.
Here is the manufacturer's microcarrier manual. See page 62, Table 12 for Cytodex 1 physical properties. https://www.gelifesciences.co.kr/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/023.8_Microcarrier-Cell-Culture.pdf
See this SlideShare, slide 15, for how to calculate the Stokes # for Cytodex 1 microcarriers: https://www.slideshare.net/rjrishabhjain/bs-4sedimentation?from_action=save but for Cytodex 1 correct the d=180 um, for cell culture media=nutrient broth viscosity = 0.96 cP, media density ~ 1.007g/mL, microcarrier density 1.03 g/mL, to get settling velocity of 0.062cm/s = 3.72 cm/min. However, per the manufacturer's manual settling velocity is 12-16mL/min. Might be an error. I am seeing an answer.
For CFD modeling of microcarriers in bioreactors see: Loubière https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d955/75b5c640c8268fd1ec51b2ce46862e7bbfbd.pdf
I have more related literature if you have interest. DApple