Periodic section modeling of convective continuous powder mixing processes

This study aims to develop a general model of the convective continuous mixing process. The main idea is that continuous mixing can be considered as a combination of powder flow and mixing processes. Although powder flow is characterized by the residence time distribution (RTD), powder mixing can be described by a batch mixing process simulated in one periodic section of the continuous mixer. By characterizing the two processes separately, we can calculate the number of sections required to achieve certain homogeneity. In this study, continuous mixing is simulated using the discrete element method, and segregating and non‐segregating mixing cases are tested to investigate the applicability of the model. Results show satisfactory predictions by the model, which is able to characterize the continuous mixing performance of both mixing cases. On the basis of this study, we were also able to suggest a novel method in design and control of continuous powder mixing systems. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J , 2012     

粘性SiC颗粒聚团流态化特性

对不同粒径的°SiC粘性颗粒的流态化实验表明,颗粒粒径对流化性能有较大影响,颗粒粒径越小,颗粒间粘附力越大,其流化性能越差;提出了粘性颗粒自然聚团数Ae_n和流态化聚团数Ae_f,用来表征颗粒的流化性能;指出了应开展粘性颗粒聚团流态化的研究。     

单孔射流流化床内颗粒混合特性的数值模拟

在欧拉-拉格朗日坐标系下,采用离散单元法对单孔射流流化床内颗粒混合特性进行了数值模拟。引入混合指数对床内轴向及径向布置的颗粒混合质量进行定量分析,并研究了不同表观气速、不同弹性系数对颗粒混合特性的影响。模拟得到了颗粒轴向及径向混合序列图、气体和颗粒速度分布、整床颗粒混合指数分布、参量变化时整床颗粒混合指数分布。结果表明：流化床床层内颗粒混合速度受颗粒内循环能力和颗粒扩散能力的综合作用。单口射流喷动流化床颗粒轴向混合速度主要由颗粒内循环速度决定,颗粒径向混合速度主要由颗粒扩散能力决定。表观气速增大时,颗粒内循环速度增加,从而加快了颗粒轴向混合进程,但对颗粒径向混合影响微弱;弹性系数增大时,颗粒混合速度及混合质量均下降,并且弹性系数增大对颗粒径向混合进程影响小于颗粒轴向混合。     

Mixing in a vibrated granular bed: Diffusive and convective effects

In this study, Discrete Elementary Method (DEM) is employed to simulate the motion and mixing behavior of granular materials in a three-dimensional vibrated bed, which is energized by vertical sinusoidal oscillations under different vibrating conditions. With frictional sidewalls, the convection flow is a very important phenomenon in the vibrated granular bed. The influence of vibrating conditions, including vibration acceleration and frequency, on the formation of symmetric convection flow is investigated in this study. In order to characterize the convective flow and the diffusive motion of granular materials, the dimensionless convection flow rate, J_conv, and the vertical self-diffusion coefficient, D_yy, are defined, respectively. Péclet number, Pe, is employed to characterize the ratio of the convective flow to the diffusive motion in vertical direction. The role of Pe in the formation of symmetric convection flow is discussed in detail. Moreover, the top-bottom initial loading pattern of two groups of glass beads with different colors is employed to investigate mixing behavior of granular materials. The well-known Lacey index is employed as the mixing degree, M, to quantify the mixing quality. The mixing rate is calculated from a least-square fit using the time evolution of M. The simulation results demonstrate that the mixing rates increase with increasing J_conv and D_yy in exponential relations.     

流体-固体两相流的数值模拟

鉴于流体 -固体两相流及其数值模拟在化学工程中愈来愈广泛的应用 ,本文综述了Euler坐标系下流体相湍流模型、颗粒轨道模型以及流体 -颗粒双流体模型的基本原理和数值模拟方法 ;对相间耦合和颗粒间的相互作用也进行了介绍 ,特别是对能详细描述多颗粒间相互作用的颗粒离散单元法在流体 -固体两相流中的应用进行了详细描述 ;在评述各模型的优缺点和分析目前存在的问题的基础上 ,提出了今后的发展方向     

Discrete element analysis of experiments on mixing and stoking of monodisperse spheres on a grate

Understanding the details of the mixing and stoking process on grate firing systems is crucial for the optimization of the combustion process in waste or biomass incineration plants. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) can help to obtain further information on the mixing process within a bed of fuel particles. Especially the influence of a change in operational parameters can be examined avoiding large experimental effort. In the current paper five simulations for a generic grate are compared with the corresponding experiments. The experiments were carried out throughout an anterior parameter study on mixing and stoking on a grate [Sudbrock F.; Simsek E.; Wirtz S.; Scherer V.: “An experimental analysis of the influence of operational parameters on mixing and stoking of a monodisperse granulate on a grate”, Powder Technology 198, Issue 1, 29-37, 2010] [19]. The system considered is equipped with vertically moving bars which induce stoking. In a first approach monodisperse plastic spheres are used. The grate is encased by a transparent polycarbonate housing which provides optical access to the movement of the particles in the wall planes. The mixing process is measured and quantified by image analysis of the front wall of the grate. The mixing behaviour of the particle assembly observed in experiments and simulation appears to be very similar indicating that DEM is able to predict the particle mixing in the bed. In order to quantify the visual observations the mixing behaviour has been evaluated by different mixing parameters. They are compared in dependence of the number of strokes of the grate bars. A good agreement between measurements and simulations could be observed.     

回转干馏炉内颗粒间传热特性的数值模拟

将离散元方法与颗粒热传导模型相结合,研究了页岩灰颗粒与油页岩颗粒在回转干馏炉内的混合传热过程,采用混合指数、颗粒平均温度和温度标准偏差作为评价混合传热效果的指标,分析了填充率、炉体转速、油页岩粒径及抄板形式对颗粒间混合传热特性的影响规律。结果表明,炉体转速和油页岩粒径是影响颗粒混合传热效果的主要因素,而填充率和抄板形式对混合传热效果的影响相对较小。当炉内未设抄板时,随着填充率和油页岩粒径的增大,颗粒间分层现象使混合传热效果变差,而随炉体转速的提高传热效果呈现出先增强后减弱的趋势;设抄板时,抄板形式对炉内颗粒间的混合起到不同程度的扰动作用,从而使传热效果得到显著改善。     

Segregation of granular particles by mass,radius, and density in a horizontal rotating drum

The impact of particle properties on segregation and mixing of bidisperse granular beds in a rotating horizontal drum have been studied by discrete element method (DEM) simulations. Bidispersities in radius, density, and mass have pronounced influences on the stationary mixing pattern, although they hardly affect the granules' flow regime. At 50% fill level, all beds mix well for a Froude number of ～0.56, corresponding to a flow regime intermediate to cascading and cataracting, while segregation occurs both at lower (rolling and cascading regime) and higher (cataracting/centrifuging regime) Froude numbers. These observations are explained qualitatively by noticing that the angular drum velocity dictates the flow regime, which in turn determines the effectiveness and direction of four competing (de)mixing mechanisms: random collisions, buoyancy, percolation, and inertia. A further dozen particle properties have been varied, including the friction coefficients and elastic modulus, but these proved inconsequential to the steady‐state degree of mixing. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 50–59, 2014     

单颗粒黏结行为的实验研究

实验研究了固体桥力作用下的颗粒黏结脖颈成长及抗拉强度变化规律。通过颗粒黏结的动态观测,发现烧结理论能很好地解释脖颈的成长过程,接触时间对脖颈影响相对较小,黏结温度影响较大;通过测量温度场中的脖颈抗拉强度,发现黏结温度升高,抗拉强度先增后减,液相出现后抗拉强度迅速下降;黏结时间增长,抗拉强度逐渐增大,并趋向于一个稳定值;接触压力增大,抗拉强度也随着增大。研究还证实了脖颈抗拉强度低于同温度下的材料强度,脖颈存在晶格缺陷。量纲1脖颈强度在温度低于0.8T_melt时变化幅度很小,小于材料强度的0.1倍;在高于0.8T_melt后,量纲1脖颈抗拉强度会迅速增大,直至逼近材料自身的强度。     

Particles mixing induced by bubbles in a gas‐solid fluidized bed

The effect of bubble injection characteristics on the mixing behavior of a gas‐solid fluidized bed is investigated using a discrete particle model. The effect of different parameters including gas injection time, velocity, and mode are studied. Simulation results show that injecting gas at a constant gas flow rate in the form of small bubbles results in a better overall particle mixing. It was also found that the injection velocities have limited effect on particle mixing behavior for the same total gas volume injected into the bed. Moreover, the mixing index (MI) of continuous gas jet bubbling regime is compared with the MI obtained in uniform gas injection regime and the results revealed that the MI of continuous jet bubbling regime has a larger value than that of uniform gas injection regime at the fixed total gas flow rate. In both regimes, z‐direction MI is larger than x‐direction index. The differences between two direction indices are more noticeable in continuous jet bubbling in comparison with the uniform gas injection regime. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 1430–1438, 2016     

Developing mechanistic understanding of granular behaviour in complex moving geometry using the Discrete Element Method: Part B: Investigation of flow and mixing in the Turbula® mixer

As a consequence of increasing computer power and more readily useable commercial codes, the Discrete Element Method is being used in an increasing range of applications to simulate increasingly complex processes, often for evaluation of machinery prototypes. This presents the additional challenge of analysis of results, in particular to extract flow and mixing mechanisms with a view to improving design or operation.The Turbula mixer is a laboratory scale mixer, which is widely used in industry for the development or testing of new granular products. It comprises a simple vessel geometry (cylinder) that moves with a complex, yet regular, 3D motion giving rise to rapid and thorough mixing of the contents. The mixer presents an ideal system for evaluation of the power of DEM to simulate complex processes and to develop protocols for processing the results of the simulation. Initial results of this investigation, presented in this paper, show that mixing behaviour changes non-monotonically as a function of mixer speed. For the system of monodisperse glass spheres it is shown that mixing rate (in terms of number of mixer revolutions to achieve complete mixing) initially decreases with increasing speed and subsequently increases. The behaviour is suggestive of a transition in the flow process and is the subject of further investigation.     

Modelling the solids inflow and solids conveying of single-screw extruders using the discrete element method

A new solids-conveying model for the single-screw extruder based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM) is proposed in this work. The polymer solids are treated as spherical particles moving in a 3-D environment which includes the feed hopper, the solids-inflow zone, and the solids-conveying region of an extruder, without inclusion of the plug flow assumption common to continuum models. Normal and tangential forces resulting from inelastic collisions with neighboring particles and surfaces dictate how each polymer pellet is conveyed through the model extruder. The DEM technique was implemented in this work to allow fundamental study of the local transport phenomena within the screw channel. Reported in this paper are results examining the cross- and down-channel velocity profile of solids in the screw; the residence time distribution; the cross-channel temperature profile; and the coordination number distribution. Two exit conditions were evaluated by the model: i) the open-discharge case where no compaction of the solids occurred; and ii) the restricted case where the axial pressure increased as the solids flowed towards the barrel exit. The predictions of the DEM simulations allowed for detailed observations of the solids movement in the screw, providing insight into the inherent flow fluctuations of extrusion systems.     

Experimental study of sawdust and coal particle mixing in sand or catalyst fluidized beds

This paper presents an experimental study in order to establish mixing and segregation conditions of wood sawdust and coal particles in a fluidized bed of sand or alumina particles. Experiments were performed at room temperature under atmospheric pressure. Simple equipment was used to divide the bed into layers and useful results could be obtained in a short period of time. The influence of fluidization velocity, time of an experiment, size and concentration of sawdust or coal particles was investigated. Uniformity of mixing was found to increase with an increase in the fluidization velocity. For u/u_mf less than 2.5, strong segregation occurred between sawdust and sand particles. Determination of good mixing conditions will be useful in gasification studies of sawdust and coal.     

无序环流混合器的流体力学特性和颗粒混合特性

在内径为Φ286 mm的无序环流混合器装置中,研究了无序环流混合器的流体力学特性和颗粒混合特性。以催化裂化(FCC)平衡剂为颗粒相,在中心区表观气速为0.3~0.5 m/s,边壁区表观气速为0.1 m/s,系统循环强度为0.25~1.00 kg/s的操作条件下,采用PV-6D型颗粒速度密度测量仪测量了混合器内床层各截面密度,并给出不同操作条件下的截面不均匀指数(RNI);采用热颗粒示踪技术给出了混合器内各测量截面的无因次温度分布,并引入混合指数用来定量描述不同操作条件下的颗粒混合程度,同时对比了传统环流混合器与无序环流混合器的混合能力。结果表明,无序环流混合器内部床层密度呈现中心低,边壁高的分布模式。随着循环强度的增加,RNI先减小后增大,随着表观气速的增加,RNI增大。预混合区混合指数为0.7~0.9,在高循环量,低中心区表观气速条件下(G_s为1.00 kg/s,u_(gd)为0.3 m/s),下料管进料影响区的截面混合指数低于其他操作条件。另外,无序环流混合器混合能力优于传统环流混合器。     

啮合同向双螺杆挤出机中组合螺杆性能的数值研究（Ⅱ）混合特性分析

采用有限元软件POLYFLOW,对组合式啮合同向双螺杆挤出机ZSK60中不同构型的组合螺杆进行了混合分析。通过计算螺杆转过不同角度时的拟稳态流场,采用粒子示踪分析(PTA)方法,对组合螺杆中聚合物熔体的动态混合过程进行了可视化模拟;在此基础上通过对大量粒子运动轨迹的统计处理,分别采用停留时间分布、分布混合指数、分离尺度等累积混合指数表征了组合螺杆的轴向混合性能、分布混合性能以及分散混合性能。此外还研究了不同工艺条件下组合螺杆的混合特性。并将部分数值模拟结果与前人实验研究进行了对比。     

三维喷动床内异径干湿颗粒混合特性数值模拟

基于计算流体力学-离散单元法,建立了三维喷动床内气固两相流数学模型,采用Fortran语言编制了并行数值模拟程序。对三维喷动床内两种不同直径的干颗粒及湿颗粒的混合特性进行了数值模拟,并从颗粒角度分析了双组分颗粒的运动机制。利用Lacey混合指数对床内整体以及特定区域的混合程度进行了定量分析,并研究了液桥体积、颗粒密度比以及表观气速对异径颗粒混合的影响。结果表明：在单孔射流喷动床内,干湿两种颗粒流动方式相似,湿颗粒无明显的聚团现象;液桥力对小直径的颗粒影响较大,使不同直径湿颗粒速度差减小;环隙区内颗粒的混合是影响整床颗粒混合的关键因素;液桥体积对颗粒混合的影响较大,对颗粒密度比以及表观气速的影响有限。     

双螺杆啮合元件与反螺纹元件对流场影响的仿真

摘要：为了提高双螺杆挤出机的混炼剪切效果,搭建带有捏合盘元件的双螺杆和带有反螺纹元件的双螺杆的组合螺杆模型,导入Gambit进行网格划分,使用Polyflow对等温条件下线型低密度聚乙烯与苯乙烯-丁二烯-苯乙烯共聚物共混熔体在不同组合螺杆中进行瞬态任务的仿真,利用粒子示踪法分析并得出不同螺杆中粒子的分散混合与分布混合规律,将结果与常规螺杆进行对比分析。从而得出结论：组合螺杆的混合效果比常规螺杆更好,其中具有反螺纹元件的螺杆在挤出过程中比常规螺杆提高约78%的剪切应力;其轴向的反流情况增加了粒子的停留时间,适用于反应挤出实验;且径向粒子混合效果优异,粒子间混合后的分离尺度是常规螺杆的一半,说明其混合均匀程度能够达到常规螺杆的2倍。     

回转装置内三组元颗粒径向混合评价方法分析

简介了各种混合度评价方法,对3种较常用混合度评价方法——变异系数、接触数及Lacey指数的应用范围进行了分析,其中Lacey指数适合评价径向颗粒混合。以回转装置内三组元颗粒径向混合实验为背景,讨论取样方式对Lacey指数算法的影响。研究表明：取样方式引起混合度数值变化的根本原因在于不同样本内大小颗粒比例不同,进而引起S2数值发生变化。本文通过分析,获得了最佳取样方式为：样本边长尺寸比颗粒最佳混合时横向尺寸略大,本实验最佳取样为6×6取样方式,即边长尺寸为14 mm。