DEM simulation for bulk material handling
A client needed to know how material really moved through their bulk handling system, so they could raise its performance, cut the wear on the equipment and reduce the amount of dust.
- Sector
- Materials handling
- Work
- Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation
- Delivered
- Flow results, bottlenecks found and recommended design changes
Results
- Less material build-up through improved flow design
- High-wear areas simulated and confirmed
- Higher overall throughput and less dust generated
The system on site
The system on site
A series of cascading chutes inside a telescopic shroud, with a skirt at the foot that rises as the material builds up below it.
Client testimonial
“F-CAD’s DEM simulation gave us a clear picture of how material moves through our chutes, including where it would build up, block and cause wear. Their recommended design changes reduced build-up and wear, increased the throughput of our handling system and lowered the amount of dust it generates.”
Overview
The brief
Simulate how particles flow through a bulk material handling system, to improve its performance and reduce wear.
The challenge
Bulk material behaves irregularly, so its flow had to be modelled particle by particle. The flow through chutes, conveyors and hoppers had to be accurate, and the simulation had to show where material would block, erode surfaces or cause excessive wear.
What we did
We ran a Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation of the system to study how the particles move and how the flow develops. It found the bottlenecks, showed better flow paths and led to design changes we recommended to make the system work more efficiently.
The result
The client came away with changes they could act on. They reduced material build-up, cut equipment wear and raised the throughput of the handling system.
Value added
How we added value
- Every particle followed
- DEM follows the material grain by grain, so the irregular way bulk solids move shows up in the results.
- Problems found on screen
- Blockage, erosion and wear showed up in the simulation, before they could cost time on the real system.
- Changes worth making
- The recommendations targeted the bottlenecks the simulation found, so the effort went where it raised throughput.
Services used
- Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)Flow, pressure drop and heat transfer in and around products and systems.
- Finite element analysis (FEA)One study and one formal report: stress, deflection, vibration, fatigue or heat, on your design or ours.
- 3D CAD modellingParametric parts and assemblies, built to be analysed, drawn and made.
Start a project
Material not flowing as it should?
Tell us about the system and the material it handles, and we’ll tell you how we would simulate it.
- Freephone
- 0800 246 1012
- Office
- 220 St Vincent Street
Glasgow G2 5SG
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