Fluent-edem coupled calculation of particle flow

Although fluent provides many ways to handle the movement of particles in fluids, these methods have their own applicability. While DPM is suitable for thin particles, Euler models, mixture models, and DDPM models may consider dense particle phases, but do not consider the interaction between particles. The DEM model can consider the interaction between particles, but the DEM model in fluent can only simulate the interaction between the simplest particles (the contact force model is very few), if you want to consider the complex particle interaction, you need to consider a more professional DEM software.

Edem is a professional DEM software, especially suitable for solving granular flow problems. (Note: This is not an advertisement, because it is suitable for solving the problem of granular flow of DEM commercial software is not much, more famous on so many, such as Edem, PFC, etc., open source DEM software suitable for granular flow calculation software has liggghts). Dem software is mainly used in two directions, one focused on simulating particles bonded solids such as rock and soil, a class focused on particle flow.

This case mainly describes the use of fluent and Edem software coupling to solve the particle in the fluid motion trajectory calculation. The Edem software is responsible for calculating the running trajectory of particles, and fluent software is responsible for calculating the fluid flow field.

1 Case Description

This case considers the problem of pneumatic sorting. Model geometry.

The solid particles enter the calculation field from the upper inlet, and the fluid enters from the left entrance. Divides the computational grid.

Constrained by the computational resources, here the grid is more coarse, if the real calculation, the grid should be divided into some dense.

2 Fluent settings

• Step 1: Use 3D parallel start fluent
• Step 2: Import Mesh
• Step 3: Using transient calculations, consider the gravitational acceleration along the-Y direction 9.81 m/s2
• Step 4: Using realizable K-epsilon Turbulence model
• Step 5: Boundary conditions inlet to velocity, set speed to 8m/s;outlet boundary to outflow, other boundaries with default settings
• Step 6: Solution methods set pressure-velocity coupling scheme for piso
  Save the CAs file.

3 Edem Settings

• Step 1: Start EDEM2017, save the file as Ex.dem
• Step 2: Right mouse button Select Bulkmaterial, select Add Bulk Material
  
• * * Step 3**: Modify the material name to weight and set the density to £ kg/m3
  
• Step 4: The same steps create another material light, modify its density to 120kg/m3
  
• Step 5: Right click on material weight, select Add particle
  
• Step 6: Set the particle size to 2mm and calculate the particle properties, modify the particle name called weightparticle
  
• Step 7: The same steps create particles on light, particle size 1mm, modified particle name called lightparticle
• Step 8: Add particles to each other. With the mouse selected weight, select the Add Interaction button under interaction in the bottom panel, add weight-weight and weight-light interaction, the default parameter is used temporarily
  
• Step 8: Mouse selected light, the same steps to add light-light interaction, the parameters are temporarily adopted by default
• Step 9: Add wall material. Right-Select the list item equipment materials, select Add eauipment materials, material parameters with default parameters, modify the material name to steel
  
• Step: Adding interaction steel-light and steel-weight to the steel material, with default parameters
• StepOne: Right-click Geometries, select menu import Geometry..., in the Open File Selection dialog box, select the previously created MSH file, import the calculation domain, Modify the name to domain.
  
• Step: Create geometry to release particles. Right-click Geometries, select menu Add geometry→polygon
  
  Modify the name to Injectorand set its type to Virtual
  
• Step: Modify the Polygon property of the injector as shown in
  
• Step: Right-click Injector, select pop-up menu Add Factor
  
• Step: Select Factory type is Unlimitednumber, set parameters material to weight, set the speed to Y-direction -0.5m/s;
• Step: The same steps create another factory, except that the set material is light and the speed is still in the y direction -0.5m/s
  
• Step: Select environmentand set the gravitational acceleration to Y-direction -9.81m/s2
  
  Save the project file.
• Step: Enter the simulator function, set the cell size to 10R, the other parameters remain the default. You do not need to set total time here, because after setting the coupling after the simulation calculation is determined by fluent.
  

4 Coupling settings

• Step: Open coupling in Edem
  
• Step: Load loading edem-fluent coupling coupling UDF in FLUENT
  

• Step: Fluent models Double-click on the list item Edem coupling, pop-up dialog box Select button Connect
  

• Step: Start calculation in fluent
  

5 Results Analysis

• No coupling calculation results
  
  The particles fall straight down to the bottom.

• Coupling calculation results
  Light phase particles (blue) are separated.

Case file

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Fluent-edem coupled calculation of particle flow