Simulation of particle flow in a bell-less type charging system of a blast furnace using the discrete element method

A three-dimensional model was established by the discrete element method (DEM) to analyze the flow and segregation of particles in a charging process in detail. The simulation results of the burden falling trajectory obtained by the model were compared with the industrial charging measurements to validate the applicability of the model. The flow behavior of particles from the weighing hopper to the top layer of a blast furnace and the heaping behavior were analyzed using this model. A radial segregation index (RSI) was used to evaluate the extent of the size segregation in the charging process. In addition, the influence of the chute inclination angle on the size segregation and burden profile during the charging process was investigated. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences.