Circulation intensity and axial dispersion of non-cohesive solid particles in a V-blender via DEM simulation

In this study, discrete element method (DEM) was employed to simulate the movement of non-cohesive mono-dispersed particles in a V-blender along with particle-particle and particle-boundary interactions. To validate the model, DEM results were successfully compared to positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) data reported in literature. The validated model was then utilized to explore the effects of rotational speed and fill level on circulation intensity and axial dispersion coefficient of non-cohesive particles in the V-blender. The results showed that the circulation intensity increased with an increase in the rotational speed from 15 to 60 rpm. As the fill level increased from 20% to 46%, the circulation intensity decreased, reached its minimum value at a fill level of 34% for all rotational speeds, and did not change significantly at fill levels greater than 34%. The DEM results also revealed that the axial dispersion coefficient of particles in the V-blender was a linear function of the rotational speed. These trends were in good agreement with the experimentally determined values reported by previous researchers. (C) 2013 Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.