Multi-sphere discrete element
The storage and transport of granular media is crucial to the performance of many industrially relevant unit operations. A prevalent solids-handling process is the discharge of particles from a hopper. Since hoppers are often utilized as a feed source, improper design can lead to unfavorable discharge dynamics (reduced flow rate, plugging, arching, rat-holing, etc.) that upset downstream processes.
The dynamic flow of poly-disperse non-spherical particles differs markedly from mono-disperse spheres and highlights the need to rigorously account for particle shape effects.
The dynamic flow of poly-disperse non-spherical particles differs markedly from mono-disperse spheres and highlights the need to rigorously account for particle shape effects.
To account for non-spherical particle geometries, I implemented a multi-sphere framework into the preexisting MFiX-DEM software:
The multi-sphere code is highly parallelized and easily simulated over 10M particles discharging an experimental hopper geometry:
Predicted discharge rates compared favorably with experimental correlations and observed discharge rate fluctuations were successfully replicated:
Extraction of the collisional stresses shows enhanced principal stressed at the hopper walls and appreciable asymmetry in the collisional stress tensor:
- Lattanzi A.M. & Stickel J.J. 2020 Hopper flows of mixtures of spherical and rod-like particles via the multi-sphere method. AIChE J., 66, e16882.