DEM/CFD Simulations of a Pseudo-2D Fluidized Bed: Comparison with Experiments

The present work investigates the performance of a mesoscopic Lagrangian approach for the prediction of gas-particle flows under the influence of different physical and numerical parameters. To this end, Geldart D particles with 1 mm diameter and density of 2500 kg/m3 are simulated in a pseudo-2D fluidized bed using a Discrete Element Method (DEM)/Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) solver called YALES2. Time-averaged quantities are computed and compared with experimental results reported in the literature. A mesh sensitivity analysis showed that better predictions regarding the particulate phase are achieved when the mesh is finer. This is due to a better description of the local and instantaneous gas-particle interactions, leading to an accurate prediction of the particle dynamics. Slip and no slip wall conditions regarding the gas phase were tested and their effect was found negligible for the simulated regimes. Additional simulations showed that increasing either the particle-particle or the particle-wall friction coefficients tends to reduce bed expansion and to initiate bubble formation. A set of friction coefficients was retained for which the predictions were in good agreement with the experiments. Simulations for other Reynolds number and bed weight conditions are then carried out and satisfactory results were obtained.