Cataracting-centrifuging transition investigation using nonspherical and spherical particles in a rotary drum through CFD simulations

Abstract This paper aims to systematically investigate the cataracting-centrifuging transition in a rotary drum involving spherical and nonspherical particles by using the Multiphase Granular Eulerian Model (MGEM). The effects of drum length and particle shape on the cataracting-centrifuging transition behavior were analyzed. The results showed that drum length plays an important role in the cataracting-centrifuging transition, although most related works in the literature do not consider this. The particle shape also significantly affects the cataracting-centrifuging transition behavior. Nonspherical particles required lower rotation speeds than spherical particles to reach the centrifuging condition. The particle shape was shown to be related to the critical solid fraction (αsc) from Schaeffer’s model, although further investigations are required to completely correlate particle spherecity with critical solid volume fractions.