Grains3D, a flexible DEM approach for particles of arbitrary convex shape — Part I: Numerical model and validations

Random packing dynamics of [Formula: see text]-triplets

In this paper, we used a combination of DEM and the multi-sphere method to investigate the random packing dynamics of [Formula: see text]-triplets. These triplets consist of three overlapping primary spheres, forming a bent structure with a bond angle of [Formula: see text] and belonging to the [Formula: see text] symmetry group. The motivation for choosing such a structural arrangement is twofold: first, to understand how bent-shaped structures influence packing dynamics, and secondly, to investigate how mesoscopic or macroscopic particles possessing symmetry similar to that found in more elementary particles impact packing observables. To ensure non-overlapping particles at the beginning of the simulations, the confinement box was divided into basic cells. Each triplet was then inserted into a basic cell with a random orientation. After that, the system is allowed to settle under gravity toward the bottom of the box. An implicit leapfrog algorithm with quaternion acceleration was used to numerically integrate the rotational motion equations. Through a molecular approach, we consider the impact of long-range cohesive forces by employing a Lennard-Jones (LJ)-type potential. Packing processes are studied assuming different long-range interaction strengths. Different quantities are studied including packing density and orientation pair correlation function. In addition, the force probability distributions in the random packing structures have been analyzed.

Study of CFD-DEM on the Impact of the Rolling Friction Coefficient on Deposition of Lignin Particles in a Single Ceramic Membrane Pore

The discrete element method coupled with the computational fluid dynamic (CFD-DEM) method is effective for studying the micro-flow process of lignin particles in ceramic membranes. Lignin particles may exhibit various shapes in industry, so it is difficult to model their real shapes in CFD-DEM coupled solutions. Meanwhile, the solution of non-spherical particles requires a very small time-step, which significantly lowers the computational efficiency. Based on this, we proposed a method to simplify the shape of lignin particles into spheres. However, the rolling friction coefficient during the replacement was hard to be obtained. Therefore, the CFD-DEM method was employed to simulate the deposition of lignin particles on a ceramic membrane. Impacts of the rolling friction coefficient on the deposition morphology of the lignin particles were analyzed. The coordination number and porosity of the lignin particles after deposition were calculated, based on which the rolling friction coefficient was calibrated. The results indicated that the deposition morphology, coordination number, and porosity of the lignin particles can be significantly affected by the rolling friction coefficient and slightly influenced by that between the lignin particles and membranes. When the rolling friction coefficient among different particles increased from 0.1 to 3.0, the average coordination number decreased from 3.96 to 2.73, and the porosity increased from 0.65 to 0.73. Besides, when the rolling friction coefficient among the lignin particles was set to 0.6-2.4, the spherical lignin particles could replace the non-spherical particles.

Revisiting the Homogenized Lattice Boltzmann Method with Applications on Particulate Flows

The simulation of surface resolved particles is a valuable tool to gain more insights in the behaviour of particulate flows in engineering processes. In this work the homogenized lattice Boltzmann method as one approach for such direct numerical simulations is revisited and validated for different scenarios. Those include a 3D case of a settling sphere for various Reynolds numbers. On the basis of this dynamic case, different algorithms for the calculation of the momentum exchange between fluid and particle are evaluated along with different forcing schemes. The result is an updated version of the method, which is in good agreement with the benchmark values based on simulations and experiments. The method is then applied for the investigation of the tubular pinch effect discovered by Segré and Silberberg and the simulation of hindered settling. For the latter, the computational domain is equipped with periodic boundaries for both fluid and particles. The results are compared to the model by Richardson and Zaki and are found to be in good agreement. As no explicit contact treatment is applied, this leads to the assumption of sufficient momentum transfer between particles via the surrounding fluid. The implementations are based on the open-source C++ lattice Boltzmann library OpenLB.

Link between packing morphology and the distribution of contact forces and stresses in packings of highly nonconvex particles

An external load on a particle packing is distributed internally through a heterogeneous network of particle contacts. This contact force distribution determines the stability of the particle packing and the resulting structure. Here, we investigate the homogeneity of the contact force distribution in packings of highly nonconvex particles both in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) packings. A recently developed discrete element method is used to model packings of nonconvex particles of varying sphericity. Our results establish that in 3D packings the distribution of the contact forces in the normal direction becomes increasingly heterogeneous with decreasing particle sphericity. However, in 2D packings the contact force distribution is independent of particle sphericity, indicating that results obtained in 2D packings cannot be extrapolated readily to 3D packings. Radial distribution functions show that the crystallinity in 3D packings decreases with decreasing particle sphericity. We link the decreasing homogeneity of the contact force distributions to the decreasing crystallinity of 3D packings. These findings are complementary to the previously observed link between the heterogeneity of the contact force distribution and a decreasing packing crystallinity due to an increasing polydispersity of spherical particles.

Computational Fluid Dynamics for Fixed Bed Reactor Design

Flow, heat, and mass transfer in fixed beds of catalyst particles are complex phenomena and, when combined with catalytic reactions, are multiscale in both time and space; therefore, advanced computational techniques are being applied to fixed bed modeling to an ever-greater extent. The fast-growing literature on the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in fixed bed design reflects the rapid development of this subfield of reactor modeling. We identify recent trends and research directions in which successful methodology has been established, for example, in computer generation of packings of complex particles, and where more work is needed, for example, in the meshing of nonsphere packings and the simulation of industrial-size packed tubes. Development of fixed bed reactor models, by either using CFD directly or obtaining insight, closures, and parameters for engineering models from simulations, will increase confidence in using these methods for design along with, or instead of, expensive pilot-scale experiments.