DISCRETE ELEMENT MODELLING OF INDUSTRIAL GRANULAR FLOW APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Discrete element methods for modelling granular flows have now developed sufficiently for them to be applied to complex industrial and mining applications with an expectation that they can predict these flows reasonably well. Furthermore detailed quantitative predictions can be made using these models, allowing them to be validated against carefully designed experiments and then iteratively improved. The models allow existing equipment and processes to be carefully analysed. The resulting enhanced understanding can then be used to help improve them or to create new ones. DEM modelling of a wide range of industrial applications are described in this paper, including ball mill operation, dragline bucket filling, vibrational segregation by size and density, flow in centrifugal mills, flows from slot hoppers, idler induced segregation, cutter bias for commodity samplers and mixing in tumblers.