Open Access

ARTICLE

Developing Mechanistic Understanding of Granular Behaviour in Complex Moving Geometry using the Discrete Element Method. Part A: Measurement and Reconstruction of TurbulaMixer Motion using Positron Emission Particle Tracking

M. Marigo^1,2, D. L. Cairns¹, M. Davies¹, M. Cook³,A. Ingram^2,4,5, E. H. Stitt¹

1 Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, P.O. Box 1, Belasis Avenue, Billingham, Cleveland, TS231LB, United Kingdom
2 Centre for Formulation Engineering, Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
3 DEM Solutions, Edinburgh, EH2 3NH, United Kingdom
4 Positron Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
5 Corresponding author. Tel.: (+44) (0) 121 414 4548; fax: (+44) (0) 121 414 5324; E-mail: a.ingram@bham.ac.uk.

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2010, 59(3), 217-238. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmes.2010.059.217

Abstract

In this work the complex motion of the Turbulamixer has been measured by Multiple-Positron Emission Particle Tracking (Multiple PEPT) in order to set-up a DEM numerical model. Positron emitting radioactive tracers were attached to three of the pivot bearings on the shaft of the mixer to enable the rotation and translation of the mixer chamber to be tracked in the PEPT camera. The measured movement was mathematically reconstructed and imported into DEM in order to apply the same movement to the modelled vessel. The three-dimensional motion of particles in a vessel located in the Turbula mixer was then calculated using Discrete Element Modelling (DEM). The DEM code used in this work is a commercially available package provided by DEM-Solutions (EDEM). Good qualitative agreements have been found between the DEM simulations and experimental data from the literature for the degree of segregation in bi-disperse particle mixtures at long mixing times.

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Keywords

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