Extension of silo discharge model based on discrete element method

Silos are containers used by almost all fields of industry for storing granular materials and generally classified in two types: mass flow and funnel flow. One of the most important design parameter of these equipment is the discharge rate which depends on the flow mode. There are high numbers of analytical and empirical models used for determine this parameter, however none of them is suitable for both flow modes; moreover the accuracy of mass flow models is not acceptable. Recently a few numerical discharge models are made for certain geometries; but the applicability of these models in case of different flow modes was not examined. Aim of our work is the creation of an experimentally validated numerical discharge model based on others work and examination of this in term of different flow modes. We prove that our modified model is suitable for determine silos discharge rate independently from flow mode.