DEM–PBM coupling method for the layering granulation of iron ore

Abstract

There is a great demand for numerically simulating the layering granulation of iron ore, in which multiple fine ore particles adhere simultaneously to the surface of a single coarse ore particle. This paper presents such a simulation method by coupling a discrete element method (DEM) and a population balance model (PBM). To calculate the high aggregation rate between coarse and fine particles in the layering granulation process, we here developed a hybrid aggregation model combining the one-to-one and one-to-multiple particle aggregations. A two-way DEM–PBM coupling simulation with the hybrid aggregation model was then performed. The calculation results were in good agreement with the results of an experiment conducted on iron ore granulation in a rotating drum in terms of the granular flow and particle growth rate. Thus, we demonstrated that the proposed simulation method can be effective for simulating the layering granulation process.