Numerical simulation of ammonium perchlorate particles based on a population balance equation model in Taylor-Couette flow

Abstract

Taylor-Couette flow, multiple vortex rings, is developed by rotating a co-axial rod in a cylindrical reactor. It is helpful in applying stable shear forces to suspended particles in the fluid domain. Recently, by using the Taylor-Couette flow, various experiments were performed to prepare micro-size particles at the laboratory level. However, unlike the simple concept of particle preparation by the Taylor-Couette flow, it is challenging to predict particle size distributions in the fluid domain, especially in the scale-up issue of a Taylor-Couette reactor. In this reason, computational methods are required to calculate particle growth in fluid flow. In this paper, ammonium perchlorate particles in the Taylor-Couette flow are simulated by using a population balance equation model, connected to a module of computational fluid dynamics. First of all, physical and empirical parameters for the population balance equation are determined by using experimental data in a Taylor-Couette flow reactor. Secondly, particle size distributions in a scale-up reactor are predicted by using the proposed method. Finally, validity and applicability of the suggested method are fully discussed on the basis of simulation results. As a major result, the simulation model for ammonium perchlorate particles was reliable in predicting their sizes along time. In addition, without changing the model parameters, the simulation results matched well with the experiments in the scale-up reactor. Based on the simulation results, it is expected that the suggested method can be utilized to estimate particle size distributions in various boundary and operating conditions.