Study on the Heat Transfer in Granular Materials by DEM

The heat transfer in granular materials can be found in many industry processes. But the phenomenon is not well understood. A particle contact heat transfer model (PCHM) was developed by taking each independent mechanism into account. The model combined with DEM was used to simulate heat transfer between particles and inserted heating surface. Comparing with each mechanism, the heat conduction through contact area has the most contribute to apparent effective quantity of heat transfer. The key factors effecting on Q(eff) include: the number of particles contacting with heating surface, the contact time, and the contact area. When the average diameter is same, the diameter distribution has little effects on heat transfer. While the average diameter is different, the effective heat transfer coefficient decreases with the increasing of particle diameter. The quantity of heat transfer is spatially non-uniform.