Two-three and four way coupling of suspended elongated particles in turbulent flows

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Martin Sommerfeld; Professor Dr. Berend van Wachem
• Subject Area: Mechanical Process Engineering ; Fluid Mechanics
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 448292913

Handling powders in industrial processes is a common process in which particles in gas or liquid are transported through various system components such as channels, pipes, mixing tanks and separation devices. These processes are usually highly turbulent and wall-bounded multiphase flows, with generally irregularly shaped particles. It is a major challenge to predict such processes with numerical calculations, which is becoming increasingly important. They key is to develop precise models to describe the complex particle behavior. Despite years of research, there is still no conclusive description of the behavior of non-spherical particles in all turbulent flow regimes. As a result, most design rules and numerical simulations assume that the particles are spherical, which is usually a very rough assumption. The aim of this project proposal is to further develop models that enable the calculation of large-scale turbulent flows with elongated non-spherical particles using the point particle assumption. This is achieved using the Euler/Lagrange approach, including LES and RANS frameworks. The modeling focuses on the interactions of the particles with the flow, and the collision between elongated non-spherical particles. These models are based on elementary principles and are derived using particle-resolved direct numerical simulations (PR-DNS). In parallel, three-dimensional measurements are carried out in a channel flow with a cross jet loaded with fibrous particles for validation. The models developed will ultimately make it possible to predict industrial processes that are loaded with non-spherical particles with a much higher quality.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants