DEM-CFD simulation of the fluidization of rodlike particles

Employing the coupling simulation of discrete element method and computational uid dynamics (DEM-CFD), the gas fluidization of rodlike particles with different aspect ratios is investigated. The emphasis is focused on the flow pattern of rods and pressure drop of the bed in macroscopic level as well as the orientation of rods in microscopic level. The results show that the principal axesof rods tend to align with the contours of the bubbles. With the increase of the aspect ratio, the minimum pressure drop for fluidization decreases and the bed becomes more difficult to be uidized. It also shows that the differences of the mean orientation angles between rods withdifferent aspect ratios become less significant as the gas velocity increases. © 2015, Science Press. All right reserved.