Computational modelling of particle-fluid dynamics in comminution and classification: a review

ABSTRACT

Comminution and classification are the two major unit operations involved in the processing of pure minerals from its ore rocks. In the current paper, an assessment is made on different numerical models used for the prediction of fluid and solid flow properties in tumbling mill, hydrocyclone and dense medium cyclone (DMC). A detailed discussion on the selection of suitable turbulence and multiphase models for the accurate prediction of flow field in hydrocyclone is made by comparing the predictions among and against experimental data. The additional requirements for accurate performance predictions at high feed solid content is elaborated. The drawbacks of DPM model and the usage of CFD-DEM coupling technique to predict the coal partition curve in DMC’s has been elucidated. The discrepancies between DEM, CFD, one way and two way coupled CFD-DEM predicted mean flow field and particle dynamics against experimental measurements in tumbling mills also made in detail.

KEYWORDS:

• Tumbling mill
• hydrocyclone
• DMC
• CFD-DEM
• multiphase
• turbulence
• flow field
• efficiency curve

Acknowledgement

Authors would like to thank Prof. Indresan Govender, University of Kwazulu-Natal for sharing the PEPT experimental results and the analysis which was used for validation of predicted data in tumbling mills.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Narasimha Mangadoddy is in the Department of Chemical, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Teja Reddy Vakamalla is in the Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kerala, India.

Mayank Kumar is in the Department of Chemical, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Aubrey Mainza is in the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.

ORCID

Teja Reddy Vakamalla http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3212-3318

Aubrey Mainza http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9802-2720

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.