Influence of the number of flights on the dilute phase ratio in flighted rotating drums by PTV measurements and DEM simulations

Particle distribution in the cross-section of the flighted rotating drum (FRD) is critical to the analysis of heat and mass transfer between gas and solids. In this work, the particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) method is applied to study the influence of the number of flights on the particle motion in FRD5. The drum, installed with 1, 4, 8, or 12 rectangular flights, is filled with plastic balls to 15% and operated at various rotating speeds ranging from 10 rpm to 30 rpm. The results show that the number of flights has different effects on the holdup ratio and cascading rate of single flight and active flights. With 8 and 12 flights, the FRD produces a larger and more stable particle ratio of the dilute phase. Moreover, DEM simulations agree with PTV measurements, whereas literature models show significant deviations. (C) 2020 Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.