Prediction of coupled particle and fluid flows using DEM and SPH

A coupled DEM (discrete element method) and SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) method is used to predict the motion of the solid particles interacting with slurry flow. DEM simulates the motion of the coarser particulates while SPH simulates the slurry (water and finer particulates). This three dimensional method is demonstrated for multiphase mixing flow on a chute, in a central slice of a 36′ SAG mill and in a Hardinge pilot mill. It is shown to be robust and stable and able to predict complex coupled free surface particle and slurry flows including splashing with saturation levels varying from dry to fully saturated. It is suitable for prediction of multiphase flow in moving equipment including small scale structures such as classification grates.     

Using Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) to model multiphase mineral processing systems

A characteristic of most minerals processing systems is that they are multi-phase. The Lagrangian nature of SPH means that it is well suited to modelling these systems as it can naturally track interfaces and free surfaces. In this paper we describe a massively parallel SPH simulator that we have developed and highlight some of the features that have been implemented. These features include surface tension and contact angles, two way coupled solid fluid-interactions and animated geometries. The capabilities of this simulator are illustrated by means of examples showing its ability to simulate a wide range of different minerals processing related systems including particle scale heap flow, multi-phase interactions in a sheared slurry and multi-phase mixing.