Swimming velocity of spherical squirmers in a square tube at finite fluid inertia

The three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to simulate the motion of a spherical squirmer in a square tube, and the steady motion velocity of a squirmer with different Reynolds numbers (Re, ranging from 0.1 to 2) and swimming types is investigated and analyzed to better understand the swimming characteristics of microorganisms in different environments. First, as the Reynolds number increases, the effect of the inertial forces becomes significant, disrupting the squirmer’s ability to maintain its theoretical velocity. Specifically, as the Reynolds number increases, the structure of the flow field around the squirmer changes, affecting its velocity of motion. Notably, the swimming velocity of the squirmer exhibits a quadratic relationship with the type of swimming and the Reynolds number. Second, the narrow tube exerts a significant inhibitory effect on the squirmer motion. In addition, although chirality does not directly affect the swimming velocity of the squirmer, it can indirectly affect the velocity by changing its motion mode.