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Coupling superquadric Discrete Element Method-Computational Fluid Dynamics (DEM-CFD) with immersed boundary method for particle-resolved direct numerical simulations of non-spherical particle suspension and fluidisation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2025

Bing Wang Open the ORCID record for Bing Wang [Opens in a new window] ,
Jianjian Dai ,
Jia Yu  and
Xi Gao Open the ORCID record for Xi Gao [Opens in a new window]
Bing Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, PR China Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
Jianjian Dai
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, PR China Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
Jia Yu
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, PR China Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
Xi Gao*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, PR China Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Xi Gao, xi.gao@gtiit.edu.cn
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Abstract

A novel particle-resolved direct numerical simulations (PR-DNS) method for non-spherical particles is developed and validated in the open-source MFiX (Multi-phase Flow with Interphase eXchanges) code for simulating the suspension of non-spherical particles and fluidisation. The model is implemented by coupling superquadric Discrete Element Method-Computational Fluid Dynamics (DEM-CFD) with the immersed boundary method. The model was first validated by applying it to analyse fluid dynamic coefficients ($C_{\!D} , C_{\!L} , C_{\!T}$) of superellipsoids and cylinders at different Reynolds numbers, and the PR-DNS results closely matched those of previous methods, demonstrating the reliability of the current PR-DNS approach. Then, the model was applied to the simulation of the fluidisation of spheres and cylinders. The PR-DNS results were compared with both particle-unresolved superquadric DEM-CFD simulation and experimental data. The pressure drop, height distribution and orientation distribution of particles were analysed. The results show that the PR-DNS method provides a reliable method for reproducing fluidisation experimental results of non-spherical particles. In addition, the comparison of the drag correction coefficients predicted by existing models with that obtained from PR-DNS results indicates the need for a new drag model for particle-unresolved simulation of non-spherical particles.

JFM classification

Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows: Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows: Fluidized beds Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows: Particle/fluid flow

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Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1019 , 25 September 2025 , A35
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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