CFD-DEM simulation of spouting of corn-shaped particles

Three dimensionally coupled computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and discrete element method （DEM） were used to investigate the flow of corn-shaped particles in a cylindrical spouted bed with a conical base. The particle motion was modeled by the DEM, and the gas motion by the k-ε two-equation turbulent model. A two-way coupling numerical iterative scheme was used to incorporate the effects of gas-particle interactions in terms of momentum exchange. The corn-shaped particles were constructed by a multisphere method. Drag force, contact force, Saffman lift force, Magnus lift force, and gravitational force acting on each individual particle were considered in establishing the mathematical modeling. Calculations were carried out in a cylindrical spouted bed with an inside diameter of 200 mm, a height of 700 mm, and a conical base of 60°. Comparison of simulations with experiments showed the availability of the multi-sphere method in simulating spouting action with corn-shaped particles, but it depended strongly on the number and the arrangement of the spherical elements. Gas-solid flow patterns, pressure drop, particle velocity and particle concentration at various spouting gas velocity were discussed. The results showed that particle velocity reaches a maximum at the axis and then decreases gradually along the radial direction in the whole bed. Particle concentration increases along the radial direction in the spout region but decreases in the fountain region, while it is nearly constant in the annulus region. Increasing spouting gas velocity leads to larger pressure drop, remarkably increased speed of particle moving upward or downward, but decreased particle concentration.

Investigation of grain mass flow in a mixed flow dryer

The numerical modeling of grain drying is a topic of great relevance to post-harvest engineering. The required type of drying process depends on the quantity of grain to be dried and the required quality of the grain. The choice of the drying system depends on the operating parameters of the drying process. The granular flow pattern of the material exerts a significant influence on the drying process. Post-harvest drying of grain is essential for better storage, handling, and processing. Therefore, it is important to know the material behavior that controls the particle flow patterns of grain in the drying equipment to guarantee the product quality and to optimize the drying process conditions. The discrete element method （DEM） was applied to investigate the particle flow pattern of wheat through a mixed-flow dryer （MFD） without airflow, and the findings were compared with experimental results in this work. The investigations were performed using dry wheat with 14 wb% moisture content.