CFD-DEM simulation of flocculation and sedimentation of cohesive fine particles

Abstract

A numerical model coupling the discrete element method (DEM) and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was presented and applied to simulate particle flocculation and sedimentation processes. The volume-averaged continuity and momentum equations are solved for fluid motions, while the particle motion is modeled by the DEM with considering the inter-particle interactions based on mechanics of contact. The van der Waals force induced cohesive attractions between particles were taken into account in our study. The predicated results demonstrated that the proposed method is capable of simulating the particle sedimentation and flocculation process.