Modelling the flow of power law fluids in a packed bed using a volume-averaged equation of motion

The development of a theoretical model for the prediction of velocity and pressure drop for the flow of a viscous power law fluid through a bed packed with uniform spherical particles is presented. The model is developed by volume averaging the equation of motion. A porous microstructure model based on a cell model is used. Numerical solution of the resulting equation is effected using a penalty Galerkin finite element method. Experimental pressure drop values for dilute solutions of carboxymethylcellulose flowing in narrow tubes packed with uniformly sized spherical particles are compared to theoretical predictions over a range of operating conditions. Overall agreement between experimental and theoretical values is within 15%. The extra pressure drop due to the presence of the wall is incorporated directly into the model through the application of the no-slip boundary condition at the container wall. The extra pressure drop reaches a maximum of about 10% of the bed pressure drop without wall effect. The wall effect increases as the ratio of tube diameter to particle diameter decreases, as the Reynolds number decreases and as the power law index increases.     

Viscous flow of a suspension of liquid drops in a cylindrical tube

Viscous flow in a circular cylindrical tube containing an infinite line of viscous liquid drops equally spaced along the tube axis is considered under the assumption that a surface tension, sufficiently large, holds the drops in a nearly spherical shape. Three cases are considered: (1) axial translation of the drops, (2) flow of the external fluid past a line of stationary drops, and (3) flow of external fluid and liquid drops under an imposed pressure gradient. Both fluids are taken to be Newtonian and incompressible, and the linearized equations of creeping flow are used.The results show that both drag and pressure drop per sphere increase as the spacing increases at fixed radius and also increase as the radius of the drop increases. The presence of the internal motion reduces the drag and pressure gradients in all cases compared to rigid spheres, particularly for drops approaching the size of the tube.     

Squeeze flow of a second-order fluid between two parallel disks or two spheres

The normal viscous force of squeeze flow between two arbitrary rigid spheres with an interstitial second-order fluid was studied for modeling wet granular materials using the discrete element method. Based on the Reynolds‘ lubrication theory, the small parameter method was introduced to approximately analyze velocity field and stress distribution between the two disks. Then a similar procedure was carried out for analyzing the normal interaction between two nearly touching, arbitrary rigid spheres to obtain the pressure distribution and the resulting squeeze force. It has been proved that the solutions can be reduced to the case of a Newtonian fluid when the non-Newtonian terms are neelected.     

Experimental Study on the Effective Particle Diameter of a Packed Bed with Non-Spherical Particles

An experimental study is conducted to determine the characteristics of frictional pressure drops of fluid flow in porous beds packed with non-spherical particles. The objective is to examine the applicability of the Ergun equation to flow resistance assessment for packed beds with non-spherical particles. The experiments are carried out on the POMECOFL facility at KTH. Hollow spheres and cylinders are used to pack the beds. Either water or air is chosen as the working fluid. The experimental data show that the Ergun equation is applicable to all the test beds if the effective particle diameter used in the equation is chosen as the equivalent diameter of the particles, which is the product of Sauter mean diameter and shape factor of the particles in each bed.     

Dynamic coupling of fluid and structural mechanics for simulating particle motion and interaction in high speed compressible gas particle laden flow

In this work, structural finite element analyses of particles moving and interacting within high speed compressible flow are directly coupled to computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer analyses to provide more detailed and improved simulations of particle laden flow under these operating conditions. For a given solid material model, stresses and displacements throughout the solid body are determined with the particle–particle contact following an element to element local spring force model and local fluid induced forces directly calculated from the finite volume flow solution. Plasticity and particle deformation common in such a flow regime can be incorporated in a more rigorous manner than typical discrete element models where structural conditions are not directly modeled. Using the developed techniques, simulations of normal collisions between two 1 mm radius particles with initial particle velocities of 50–150 m/s are conducted with different levels of pressure driven gas flow moving normal to the initial particle motion for elastic and elastic–plastic with strain hardening based solid material models. In this manner, the relationships between the collision velocity, the material behavior models, and the fluid flow and the particle motion and deformation can be investigated. The elastic–plastic material behavior results in post collision velocities 16–50% of their pre-collision values while the elastic-based particle collisions nearly regained their initial velocity upon rebound. The elastic–plastic material models produce contact forces less than half of those for elastic collisions, longer contact times, and greater particle deformation. Fluid flow forces affect the particle motion even at high collision speeds regardless of the solid material behavior model. With the elastic models, the collision force varied little with the strength of the gas flow driver. For the elastic–plastic models, the larger particle deformation and the resulting increasingly asymmetric loading lead to growing differences in the collision force magnitudes and directions as the gas flow strength increased. The coupled finite volume flow and finite element structural analyses provide a capability to capture the interdependencies between the interaction of the particles, the particle deformation, the fluid flow and the particle motion.     

Slow Motion of an Assemblage of Porous Spherical Shells Relative to a Fluid

The body-force-driven motion of a homogeneous distribution of spherically symmetric porous shells in an incompressible Newtonian fluid and the fluid flow through a bed of these shell particles are investigated analytically. The effect of the hydrodynamic interaction among the porous shell particles is taken into account by employing a cell-model representation. In the limit of small Reynolds number, the Stokes and Brinkman equations are solved for the flow field around a single particle in a unit cell, and the drag force acting on the particle by the fluid is obtained in closed forms. For a suspension of porous spherical shells, the mobility of the particles decreases or the hydrodynamic interaction among the particles increases monotonically with a decrease in the permeability of the porous shells. The effect of particle interactions on the creeping motion of porous spherical shells relative to a fluid can be quite significant in some situations. In the limiting cases, the analytical solution describing the drag force or mobility for a suspension of porous spherical shells reduces to those for suspensions of impermeable solid spheres and of porous spheres. The particle-interaction behavior for a suspension of porous spherical shells with a relatively low permeability may be approximated by that of permeable spheres when the porous shells are sufficiently thick.     

Symmetry of a periodic array of particles and a viscous fluid flow in the stokes approximation

A suspension in which rigid spherical particles of the same radius form a periodic array is considered. A general solution of the Stokes equations periodic with respect to this array is obtained. With reference to a fluid flow through a fixed array and a shear flow with frozen-in particles it is shown that taking the array structure and the symmetry of the conditions on the particle surface into account leads to a considerable simplification of the problem and makes it possible to determine the velocity and pressure distributions over the fluid.     

Constant-stresses biaxial-creep testing of tubes and spheres

The paper points out a physical effect which enables constant-stresses biaxial-creep testing of thin-walled tubes and spheres. Uniform and isothermal expansion of tubes and spheres which are internally pressurized by a constant amount of an ideally behaving gas is followed by a reduction of the gas pressure. The pressure drop of the gas compensates for the dimensional changes of the vessels in such a way that the circumferential and axial stresses of tubes and the circumferential stresses of spheres remain constant.     

An elastohydrodynamic theory for the rheology of concentrated suspensions of deformable particles

The equations which govern thin films of a Newtonian liquid confined between deformable solid surfaces are applied to the regions of near contact in a concentrated suspension of deformable particles.For the case of slightly deformable elastic particles, one obtains the socalled “elastohydrodynamic” equations of lubrication theory.The appropriate asymptotic solution of these equations yields estimates for the viscosity, of a form proposed earlier by Frankel and Acrivos [1] for rigid particles, as well as a relaxation time for a suspension of near spheres. The present method, which goes beyond the dissipation calculation of Frankel and Acrivos to a derivation of the full stress tensor, yields the same form of dependence of viscosity on particle concentration. However, there is an as yet unexplained difference between the methods in the value of a numerical coefficient determined by the assumed packing of the spheres.While further work is needed on the kinetic theory for fluid suspensions, the methods employed here for the derivation of the stress tensor should have direct utility for certain solid dispersions, where it is possible to specify a priori the particle-packing in the system.     

Behaviour of macroscopic rigid spheres in lid-driven cavity flow

Experiments are conducted to investigate the behaviour of macroscopic rigid particles suspended in a fully three-dimensional viscous flow. The flow considered takes place in a closed cubic cavity, steadily driven along its upper face by a translating lid. Navier–Stokes computations are first performed to characterize the fluid flow, and the resulting kinematic template is checked using laser-illuminated micro-particles. Nearly neutrally buoyant rigid spheres are then inserted in the cavity, and their three-dimensional motions are tracked using stereoscopic imaging. The measured macro-particle motions are compared with those of simulated passive tracers, and their responses to changes in experimental conditions are examined. Although steric effects are observed to hinder passage through narrow throats of the flow field, macro-particle trajectories are otherwise found to align closely with passive tracer paths. The macro-particle orbits, however, are not evenly distributed within the cavity, and cluster closer to the periphery as the Reynolds and Stokes numbers increase. With support from observations of particle rotations relative to the fluid, we interpret this behaviour as resulting from weak forces pulling the macroscopic spheres towards preferential paths, similar to the Segré–Silberberg effect in Poiseuille flow.     

Investigation of the characteristics of particulate flows through fibrous filters using the lattice Boltzmann method

A fibrous filter is one of the most common systems used to separate suspended particles from air.Two important factors(i.e.,the pressure drop and capture efficiency) are usually used to evaluate the performance of this type of filter.This study considers three two-dimensional arrangements of fibers(parallel,staggered,and random) to geometrically model fibrous media.The lattice Boltzmann method is employed to numerically simulate fluid flow through the filter.The Lagrangian form of the equation of motion of a particle is numerically solved to track the path of each particle in the flow field,where a one-way interaction between the fluid and particles is considered.The effects of pertinent parameters such as the fiber arrangement,solid volume fraction,particle-to-fiber diameter ratio,particle-to-fluid density ratio,Reynolds number,Stokes number,and size of the fibrous medium on the pressure drop and capture efficiency are studied.The obtained results are compared with existing empirical and theoretical findings and discussed.     

Viscous Flow Past a Periodic Array of Spheres

Viscous flow past an infinite periodic array of rigid spheres is considered. The hydrodynamic interaction of all the particles in the array is taken into account. An analytical solution of the problem is proposed. The forces exerted by the fluid on the array particles are calculated and an expression for the velocity of fluid filtration through the array is obtained. The results are compared with the previous theoretical and experimental results.     

The slow motion of two touching fluid spheres along their line of centers

The creeping motion along their line of centers of two fluid spheres in contact is analyzed. An exact solution is presented. Corrections to the Hadamard—Rybezynski equation are tabulated for various particle radii ratios and particle fluid to external fluid viscosity ratios. In the limit of infinite particle viscosity, these corrections are shown to agree with previous calculations for rigid spheres.     

Drag forces of interacting spheres in power-law fluids

Drag forces of interacting particles suspended in power-law fluid flows were investigated in this study. The drag forces of interacting spheres were directly measured by using a micro-force measuring system. The tested particles include a pair of interacting spheres in tandem and individual spheres in a cubic matrix of multi-sphere in flows with the particle Reynolds number from 0.7 to 23. Aqueous carboxymethycellulose (CMC) solutions and glycerin solutions were used as the fluid media in which the interacting spheres were suspended. The range of power-law index varied from 0.6 to 1.0. In conjunction to the drag force measurements, the flow patterns and velocity fields of power-law flows over a pair of interacting spheres were also obtained from the laser assisted flow visualization and numerical simulation.

Both experimental and computational results suggest that, while the drag force of an isolated sphere depends on the power-index, the drag coefficient ratio of an interacting sphere is independent from the power-law index but strongly depends on the separation distance and the particle Reynolds number. Our study also shows that the drag force of a particle in an assemblage is strongly positions dependent, with a maximum difference up to 38%.     

The squeeze flow of a bi-viscosity fluid between two rigid spheres with wall slip

In this paper, the squeeze flow between two rigid spheres with a bi-viscosity fluid is examined. Based on lubrication theory, the squeeze force is calculated by deriving the pressure and velocity expressions. The results of the normal squeeze force are discussed, and fitting functions of the squeeze and correction coefficients are given. The squeeze force between the rigid spheres increases linearly or logarithmically with the velocity when most or part of the boundary fluid reaches the yield state, respectively. Furthermore, the slip correction coefficient decreases with the increase in the velocity. The investigation may contribute to the further study of bi-viscosity fluids between rigid spheres with wall slip.     

Viscosity of a Suspension with a Cubic Array of Spheres in a Shear Flow

Viscous fluid flow past an infinite periodic array of rigid spheres of the same radius is considered. A solution of the Stokes equations periodic in three variables is obtained for viscous incompressible flow with a linear velocity profile. The solution takes into account the hydrodynamic interaction of an infinite number of particles in the array. An expression for the effective viscosity of a suspension with a cubic array of particles is obtained.     

CFD-DEM simulation of spouting of corn-shaped particles

Three dimensionally coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) were used to investigate the flow of corn-shaped particles in a cylindrical spouted bed with a conical base. The particle motion was modeled by the DEM, and the gas motion by the k-? two-equation turbulent model. A two-way coupling numerical iterative scheme was used to incorporate the effects of gas–particle interactions in terms of momentum exchange. The corn-shaped particles were constructed by a multi-sphere method. Drag force, contact force, Saffman lift force, Magnus lift force, and gravitational force acting on each individual particle were considered in establishing the mathematical modeling. Calculations were carried out in a cylindrical spouted bed with an inside diameter of 200 mm, a height of 700 mm, and a conical base of 60°. Comparison of simulations with experiments showed the availability of the multi-sphere method in simulating spouting action with corn-shaped particles, but it depended strongly on the number and the arrangement of the spherical elements. Gas–solid flow patterns, pressure drop, particle velocity and particle concentration at various spouting gas velocity were discussed. The results showed that particle velocity reaches a maximum at the axis and then decreases gradually along the radial direction in the whole bed. Particle concentration increases along the radial direction in the spout region but decreases in the fountain region, while it is nearly constant in the annulus region. Increasing spouting gas velocity leads to larger pressure drop, remarkably increased speed of particle moving upward or downward, but decreased particle concentration.     

Stokes flow in a cylindrical tube containing a line of spheroidal particles

Viscous flow in a circular cylindrical tube containing an infinite line of rigid spheroidal particles equally spaced along the axis of the tube is considered for (a) uniform axial translation of the spheroids (b) flow past a line of stationary spheriods and (c) flow of the suspending fluid and spheroids under an imposed pressure gradient. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible and Newtonian. The Reynolds number is assumed to be small and the equations of creeping flow are used. Two types of solutions are developed: (i) an exact solution in the form of an infinite series which is valid for ratios of the spheroid diameter to the tube diameter up to 0.80, (ii) an approximate solution using lubrication theory which is valid for spheroids which nearly fill the tube. The drag on each spheroid and the pressure drop are computed for all cases. Both prolate and oblate spheroids are considered. The results show that the drag and pressure drop depend on the spheroidal diameter perpendicular to the axis of tube primarily and the effects of the spheroidal thickness and spacing are secondary. The results are of interest in connection with mechanics of capillary blood flow, sedimentation, fluidized beds, and fluid-solid transport.     

Squeeze flow of interstitial Herschel–Bulkley fluid between two rigid spheres

Interaction between two spheres with an interstitial fluid is crucial in discrete element modeling for simulating the behaviors of ‘wet’ particulate materials. The normal viscous force of squeeze flow between two arbitrary rigid spheres with an interstitial Herschel–Bulkley fluid was studied on the basis of Reynolds’ lubrication theory, resulting in analytical integral expressions of pressure distribution and the viscous force between the two spheres. According to the variation of shear stress, the fluid was divided into yielding and unyielding regions, followed by a discussion on the thickness of the two regions. The result of this paper could be reduced to either the power-law fluid or the Bingham fluid case.