Study the effect of cohesion on fine particle transportation through a pore doublet model: A CFD-DEM study

Abstract

This research delves into the transportation of micro-sized particles within a doublet pore model featuring two distinct pore throat sizes. To simulate a two-phase particle-fluid suspension, the CFD-DEM method is employed, combining the Navier-Stokes equation with Newton's second law of particle motion. Cohesion forces between particles and pore throats are characterized using the Simplified Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (SJKR) contact model, which is applied in our simulation to identify locations of agglomerations. Results reveal that altering cohesive energy density, from 10,000 Jm3 to 100,000 Jm3, significantly increases the likelihood of agglomeration in the smaller pore throat. It becomes evident that areas in close proximity to the throats are the most prone to particle agglomerations, leading to pressure drops over time. The formation of particle clusters within the pore throats intensifies with both an increase in the number of particles and fluid velocity from 0.001ms to 0.01ms. Nevertheless, low flow rates (0.001ms) are insufficient to mitigate blockages.