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Volume 115
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A study on the discharge and mixing process of wet coal in silos
Haoyuan Li, Kaixin Dai, Jun Xie *, Xiaole Chen, Dong Li, Xiaojian Xie, Chuanwen Zhao
School of Energy Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
10.1016/j.partic.2026.06.007
Volume 115, August 2026, Pages 378-389
Received 31 March 2026, Revised 28 May 2026, Accepted 7 June 2026, Available online 13 June 2026, Version of Record 19 June 2026.
E-mail: junxie@njnu.edu.cn
Highlights

• Develops a CG-DEM model coupled with moisture-induced cohesive force.

• Reveals the decisive influence of stacking sequence on the evolution of outlet coal quality.

• Quantifies that cohesive force dominates, affecting ∼80% of particles throughout discharge.

• Demonstrates that flow is characterized by a lower-layer-dominated funnel flow pattern.

• Provides a high-fidelity, low-cost tool for predicting industrial wet coal discharge.


Abstract

This paper develops a computational framework coupling a moisture-induced cohesive force model with the Coarse-Grained Discrete Element Method (CG-DEM) to efficiently and accurately simulate the mixed discharge process of wet coal in a laboratory-scale three-dimensional silo. The moisture-induced cohesive force model quantifies the effect of moisture on coal flowability by correlating moisture content with macroscopic mechanical parameters of the particles (cohesion, internal friction angle). Simulation results indicate that particle flow exhibits a significant central-channeling "funnel flow" characteristic, and the flow structure is dominated by the flowability of the lower coal layer. The moisture-induced cohesive force is a key factor controlling particle motion. The study further reveals the decisive influence of stacking sequence on the evolution of outlet coal quality: when the lower layer consists of high-moisture, poor-flowability Indonesian coal, the outlet calorific value shows a slow rising trend; conversely, when the lower layer consists of good-flowability Longwanggou coal, the outlet calorific value decreases rapidly. This research provides a reliable, low-cost numerical tool for understanding and predicting the discharge and mixing behavior of wet coal in industrial silos, offering guidance for optimizing coal blending and stabilizing the quality of feed coal.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Silo; Wet coal; Mixed discharge; CG-DEM; Cohesive force
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