Simulation of spray coating in a spouted bed using Recurrence CFD

Abstract

Although numerical models such as the computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) have enabled the accurate simulation of laboratory-scale apparatuses, the application of these methods to large-scale apparatuses with many particles and time scales ranging from minutes to hours remains a challenge. The recently developed recurrence CFD (rCFD) method seeks to overcome these issues in pseudo-periodic processes by extrapolating globally recurring patterns in a physically meaningful way and describing the transport and interaction of passive scalars using Lagrangian tracers. Spouted beds represent an interesting target because of the associated variety of flow regimes. They can be effectively described by CFD–DEM on the time scale of tens of seconds, whereas industrially relevant processes typically take hours. In this contribution, we established the validity of applying the Lagrangian rCFD method to spouted beds by demonstrating the accurate reproduction of the particle residence time distribution in a fictitious spray zone. The deposition of spray droplets onto tracer particles was simulated for 1 h, and the particle surface coverage distribution was estimated using a statistical approach for both an unstabilized prismatic spouted bed and one stabilized by draft plates.