Effect of moving baffle on average velocity and mixing of binary particles in rotating drums

Abstract

Adding a moving baffle to the drum is a new way to enhance the motion and mixing of particles in rotating drums. To obtain its influence on binary particles, horizontal rotating drums provided with a moving baffle were investigated by discrete element method (DEM). At Ω=15 r/min, increasing the length of moving baffle can increase the fluctuation amplitude of average particle velocity. At Ω=60 r/min, the influence of the moving baffle on the average velocity fluctuation tends to be more random. At both rotational speeds, the moving baffle causes the average particle velocity to fluctuate more sharply. The moving baffle can enhance particle mixing. At Ω=15 r/min, the moving baffle with length of δ=1/3 can best enhance particle mixing. However, at Ω=60 r/min, only the moving baffle with a specific length (δ=1/4) can enhance mixing. This basic research has a positive reference value for the application of the moving baffle in industry.