Development of an InterFoam-YADE coupling for CFD-DEM simulations with a free surface

Particle-fluid interactions occur in applications throughout science, engineering, and everyday life. Our capabilities to simulate particle-fluid systems have increased in recent years, yet predicting the behaviour of systems with a free surface is still a challenge. In this work, we introduce a new coupling between OpenFOAM® and YADE, based on an existing coupling with the pimpleFoam solver, to perform unresolved, two-way coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics - Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) simulations of particles in two-phase flows. The interFoam solver is employed here to capture the interface between two immiscible fluid phases, using a Volume of Fluid (VoF) approach. The present coupling creates the opportunity to address challenges in marine and ocean engineering, as well as complex industrial processes, where interactions between discrete particles and interfacial flows arise.