Axial segregation characteristics and size-induced flow behavior of particles in a novel rotary drum with curved sidewalls--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Miao, Q., Zhu, W., Cao, Y., Huang, P., Hu, C., & Jia, M. (2024). Axial segregation characteristics and size-induced flow behavior of particles in a novel rotary drum with curved sidewalls. Particuology, 87, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2023.07.007

Axial segregation characteristics and size-induced flow behavior of particles in a novel rotary drum with curved sidewalls

Qiuhua Miao ^a, Wenchang Zhu ^a, Yudong Cao ^a, Peng Huang ^a *, Chaobin Hu ^b, Minping Jia ^a

a School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
b Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Elevator Intelligent Safety, Changshu, 215500, China

10.1016/j.partic.2023.07.007

Volume 87, April 2024, Pages 1-19

Received 5 May 2023, Revised 6 July 2023, Accepted 12 July 2023, Available online 27 July 2023, Version of Record 5 August 2023.

E-mail: huangpeng@seu.edu.cn

Highlights

• A novel DEM rotary drum consisting of curved sidewalls was constructed.

• Axial flow rate is reduced significantly once particle angularity increases.

• Convex sidewalls enhance axial segregation while concave sidewalls inhibit.

• Non-spherical particles form no obvious multi-proportional segregation bands.

Abstract

Particle mixing and segregation are common phenomena in rotary drums, which are challenging to be controlled and driven artificially in powder technology. In this work, the discrete element method (DEM) was applied to construct the novel rotary drum composed of different shaped curved sidewalls. By varying the operation parameters of particle and sidewall shapes as well as the length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio of drums, the axial mixing and segregation processes of binary size-induced particles were investigated. The results show that the axial flow velocity of the particle mixtures is noticeably weakened once the particle angularity increases, making the non-spherical particles to mix better in rotary drums compared to the spherical particles. Besides, in the short drums with size-induced spherical particles, the axial segregation characteristics are significantly enhanced by the convex sidewalls while suppressed by the concave sidewalls. However, for size-induced non-spherical particles, the axial segregation structure can be present in rotary drums with plane and concave sidewalls while not in drums with convex sidewalls. Moreover, the axial segregation band structure of spherical particles eventually increases proportionally with the increased drum L/D ratios. In contrast, the non-spherical particles cannot form obvious multi-proportional segregation bands.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Axial flow behaviors; Size-induced particles; Curved sidewalls; Non-spherical particles; Rotary drum

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