Numerical Investigations on a Small-Scale Air-Slide Conveyor

Abstract

This study reports upon numerical investigations on a small-scale air-slide conveyor (ASC) model that is based on a full-scale industrial ASC currently in operation. For validation of the ASC model and prediction of details of cement flow distribution on time-basis, both steady-state and transient simulations are performed. Simulation results demonstrate the development of cement flow phenomenon and predict critical flow features in the system, which will be useful for predicting corresponding behavior in the full-scale industrial ASC. Mass balance is achieved and potential optimization technique is supported by simulation data. Both steady-state converged solution and results on time-basis are discussed. This study demonstrates the validity of ASC model design and paves the way for using similar numerical tools for future particle-laden flow studies. Lastly, it also offers design and optimization insights into such industrial ASC systems.

A model for the aerodynamic coefficients of rock-like debris

“…As a result, the range of the debris flight is strongly dependent on the aerodynamic drag forces [1][2][3]. However, as the number of debris particles is at least tens of thousands, the computational cost to conduct a full Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulation for each debris particle is prohibitively high, though CFD has been demonstrated to be a feasible approach for many applications [4][5][6][7], including particle tracking [8,9] or particle-laden flows [10,11]. The possible approach to handle particle-particle and particle-fluid interactions together is the DEM-CFD method (DEM: discrete element method), when a limited number of particles are included [9].…”