CFD-DEM model of plugging in flow with cohesive particles

Abstract

Plugging in flows with cohesive particles is crucial in many industrial and real-life applications such as hemodynamics, water distribution, and petroleum flow assurance. Although probabilistic models for plugging risk estimation are presented in the literature, multiple details of the process remain unclear. In this paper, we present a CFD-DEM model of plugging validated against several experimental benchmarks. Using the simulations, we consider the process of plugging in a slurry of ice in decane, focusing on inter-particle collisions and plugging dynamics. We conduct a parametric study altering the Reynolds number (3000...9000), particle concentration (1.6...7.3%), and surface energy (21...541 mJ/m^2). We note the process possesses complex non-linear behaviour for the cases where particle-wall adhesion reduces by more than 20% relative to inter-particle cohesion. Finally, we demonstrate how the simulation results match the flow maps based on the third-party experiments.