Numerical investigation of drag property for fluid flow through packed beds of super-quadric chip-like particles

Drag property of fluid flow through chip-like particles is essential for describing the microscale flow pattern of this unique system, yet it is not well developed. In this work, a correlation of drag force (F-d) specific for the super-quadric chip-like particles is formulated under the conditions of porosity epsilon = 0.48-1.0 and Reynolds number Re = 10-200, using the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and discrete element method (DEM). The LBM-DEM model is validated against previous data with an average deviation of 5% (max similar to 15%). The results indicate that the epsilon and Re are two dominant parameters that determine the F-d on chip-like particles. A new F-d correlation consists of epsilon and Re is developed. Comparisons are conducted between this F-d correlation with previous approximate correlations including Di Felice-Holzer/Sommerfeld hybrid drag model for arbitrary-shaped particles and Chen/Muller drag model specific for cubes, indicating that an accurate description of the particles' shapes is vital in providing suitable F-d information. The new F-d correlation can be applied to Euler-Euler simulations of industrial-scale processes of chip-like particles involved in fluid flow systems such as end-of-life (EoL) solar panels recycling and biomass chips gasification.

Automated summary

A correlation for drag force (Fd) specific to super-quadric chip-like particles is developed using the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and discrete element method (DEM). The study shows that the porosity (epsilon) and Reynolds number (Re) are the two dominant parameters that determine the Fd on chip-like particles. Comparisons with previous approximate correlations demonstrate the importance of accurately describing particles' shapes in providing suitable Fd information. The new Fd correlation can be applied to Euler-Euler simulations of industrial-scale processes involving chip-like particles in fluid flow systems.