Regulating Sand Trajectories in Air Jet Flow Using Particle Morphology

Abstract The particles encountered daily in nature, science, and industries are rarely shaped spherical or even regular. The irregular morphologies of these particles play a crucial role in their dynamic behaviour and movement which presents a potential to control particle’s trajectories by modifying their morphologies. Here, a jet of air transferring a multitude of irregular particles is numerically modelled as the particles flow through a cylindrical tube, exit the nozzle, and are entrained at a certain spot. For this purpose, a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model is one-way coupled to a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation via the drag force the particles experience when moving through the fluid. It is shown that by using particles with different morphologies, it is possible to regulate their trajectories resulting in an enhancement in their entrainment at the desired spot.