Simulation of powder motion with particle contact model including intervening liquid

The control of packed bed permeability in blast furnace is an important issue to realize highly efficient and stable operation of blast furnace under low carbon condition. The powder accumulation in the packed bed deteriorates the permeability, thus it is necessary to understand the powder behavior in the packed bed. Recently it was revealed that the existence of liquid in the bed had drastic effect on the motion and the accumulation of powder in the bed. In this study a mathematical model to describe the behavior of powder particle under liquid existing condition was developed using discrete element method. The model took into account cohesive force, normal viscous force, sheer viscous force and lubrication due to the liquid film. The model was validated by the comparison of the particle trajectories under various liquid properties. The model was applied to the simulation of passing behavior of the powder particles through the opening among three coarse spherical particles, and successfully reproduced the accumulation behavior under wetting condition.