(7e) Fine Particle Flow – from a Discrete Element Perspective

Many fine particulate materials exhibit cohesiveness, maybe due to their small sizes, and different surface properties. The handling of these materials often presents difficulties during storage, transport and dispensing, because they have different flow and packing properties than more traditional granular solids. This paper examines the effect of the cohesiveness on their flow behaviour in hoppers, using the discrete element method. The study is performed via computationally simulating fine particle flows through bin hoppers.