Conference article

Two-dimensional CFD simulations were performed to investigate the impact of density, particle diameter and degree of filling on the flow behavior of a solid particle mixture in a transverse plane of a rotary drum. The Eulerian approach with the kinetic theory of granular flow was used to simulate granular phases of CaCO3 and Al2O3 under the rolling mode. The volume fractions of each phase reveal that, under the considered conditions, the particle size has a greater impact on segregation than the density. Larger particles are collected at the bottom of the rotating drum while smaller particles move more into the mid-section of the bed. The active layer is responsible for the segregation owing to the trajectory mechanism. Particle segregation due to percolation is more dominant than segregation due to condensation. In addition to that, solids volume fraction variations in the moving bed indicate that the influence of the degree of particle filling made no significant impact on the degree of mixing in the rotating drum.

rotating drums, segregation, granular flow, rolling mode, active layer