Investigating Jet Cup attrition: Experiments and CFD-DEM Simulations

Attrition of particles occurs in many industrial processes such as fluidized beds and cyclones. It can be a serious problem. To understand the phenomenon of attrition, it important to investigate the characteristics of materials, the breaking energy supplied by the system, and the distribution of attrition rates among the particles
Jet cup attrition testing is the most common experimental test for particle attrition in fluidized beds and risers. Arguably, it is supposed to mimic attrition in cyclones which is largest contributed source of attrition in a well-designed unit. However, it is unknown how the components of attrition, abrasion and fragmentation, relate to each other in a jet cup and if that relationship is preserved in a cyclone.
In this preliminary work, simulation of the flow and collision of particles using a coupled DEM (Discrete Element Method) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) in a Jet Cup is performed to investigate the basics of attrition. This allows to evaluate the distribution of contract forces and how it is affected by various operating and design parameters of the geometry. This can be correlated to the fraction of particles that will break.