The optimization design of the double-layered material tank is essential to improve the material mixing efficiency and quality in chemical engineering and lithium battery production. The draft tube structure and double-layered impellers affect the flow patterns of the fluid–solid transfer process, and its flow pattern recognition faces significant challenges. This paper presents a fluid–solid mixing transfer modeling method using the CFD-DEM coupling solution method to analyze flow pattern evolution regularities. A porous-based interphase coupling technology solved the interphase force and could be used to acquire accurate particle motion trajectories. The effect mechanism of fluid–solid transfer courses in the double-layered mixing tank with a draft tube can be obtained by analyzing key features, including velocity distribution, circulation flows, power, and particle characteristics. The research results illustrate that the draft tube structure creates two major circulations in the mixing transfer process and changes particle and vortex flow patterns. The circulating motion of the double-layered impellers strengthens the overall fluid circulation, enhances the overall mixing efficiency of the fluid medium, and reduces particle deposition. Numerical results can offer technical guidance for the chemical extraction course and lithium battery slurry mixing.
Flow pattern monitoring of gas–liquid–solid mixed flow has great significance to enhance the quality and efficiency of material mixing, and the material transport mechanism and dynamic control strategy are faced with significant challenges. To solve these problems, a computational fluid mechanics and discrete element method (CFD-DEM) coupling modeling and solving approach based on soft sphere and porous models is presented to explore material transport mechanisms. The user-defined function (UDF) is adopted to perform data communication, and the porosity of the porous model is calculated to achieve the bidirectional calculation of Eulerian fluid and Lagrange particle phases. Material transport processes of gas–liquid–solid mixed flows are discussed to explore material transport mechanisms of particle flow and the flow pattern evolution laws under the inflation control are obtained. The results show that the particles are not evenly distributed under the synergistic action of impeller rotation and inflation. The particles in the upper and lower impeller have similar characteristics along the radial direction, and there is an aggregation phenomenon in the impeller center. A certain degree of inflation enhances the macroscopic mixing process of turbulent vortices, promotes the particle suspension effect inside the container, and improves the material transport efficiency inside the mixing space. Relevant research results can provide theoretical references for the material transport mechanism, flow pattern tracking models, and energy transfer and can also provide technical support for chemical process separation, food processing, battery homogenate mixing, and other production processes.
The mixing transport courses of three-phase particle flows exist in some industrial applications, such as metallurgy material extraction, lithium electric slurry dispersion, and material mixing in the high-end chemical industry. Its mixing transport mechanism is a fluid–structure coupling dynamic issues with intensive shear and nonlinear characteristics, making the real-time prediction of the flow field face challenges. To address the above problem, a bidirectional fluid–structure coupling three-phase particle flow dynamic model is built based on the coupled computational fluid dynamics and discrete element model (CFD-DEM) to explore the mixing transport mechanism. An interphase coupling solution method is utilized to solve the interaction effects of the fluid and particle. Research results illustrate that the proposed method modeling can well reveal the mixing transport mechanism of the three-phase particle flows. Due to the additive effects of stirring speed, stirring blade size, and stirring blade structure, the flow field near the blade has a high-velocity gradient change, while the flow field away from the stirring blade has no significant change. When the particle material settles and accumulates to a certain extent, the particle movement is blocked, and the stirring speed of the particle material near the blade is reduced. The mixing effect of the particle material will be reduced near the wall. It can provide a valuable reference for particle flow transport and pattern identification and support technical support for lithium electric homogenate mixing, chemical extraction, and pharmacy process regulation.
In order to increase industrial production quality and efficiency, it is essential to understand how the aeration and no-aeration condition affects liquid and solid material mixing in the stirred tank. Due to complicated shear flows, the related mass-transfer mechanism confronts numerous difficulties. This paper put forward an improved computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method (CFD–DEM) modeling approach to explore the effect mechanism of aeration conditions on liquid–solid material mixing. Firstly, a mass-transfer dynamic model is set up with a volume of fluid and piecewise linear interface construction (VOF–PLIC) coupling strategy to explore flow modes and vorticity evolution trends under aeration control. Then, a self-developed interphase coupling interface is utilized to modify the coupling force and porosity of the porous media model in the DEM module, and random dispersion properties of the particle phase under non-aeration and aeration are obtained. Results show that the aeration and flow-blocking components transform fluid tangential speeds into axial and radial speeds, which can improve the material mixing quality and efficiency. The mixed flow field can reach a greater turbulent process under the impeller rotation, making the particles have an intensive disorder and complex flow patterns. The enhanced motion efficiency of the vortex clusters encourages their nesting courses and improves cross-scale mixed transport. It can serve as some reference for the three-phase flow mixing mechanism, vorticity distribution law, and particle motion solution and has a general significance for battery homogeneous mixing, biopharmaceutical processes, and chemical process extraction.
The toothless oil stirring disk is vital in modern transmission technology, particularly in fields like aviation, aerospace, and nuclear power, significantly impacting equipment performance. Oil-stirring lubrication is widely used in internal systems due to its simplicity and high reliability, but oil-stirring losses during lubrication contribute to increased system temperatures, affecting lifespan and performance. Accurate simulation of the two-phase flow during the lubrication process of high-speed toothless oil stirring disks is crucial for extending the lubrication system service life. This paper proposes a dynamic modeling approach for the lubrication of high-speed toothless oil stirring disks, integrating the volume of fluid (VOF) model and the RNG k-ε turbulence model, alongside spring smoothing and dynamic mesh reconstruction techniques. The model explores fluid flow and oil distribution in high-speed, toothless oil stirring pans, investigating the effects of different stirring pan speeds and oil heights on lubrication performance. Results indicate that stirring pan speed and oil height are key to improving lubrication efficiency. At high speeds, centrifugal force and gravity cause the lubricating oil to detach from the stirring pan surface, continuing to splash due to inertia. At 3200 r/min and an oil level of 20 mm, a stable oil film forms in the gearbox. Higher stirring pan speeds generate greater turbulence, enhancing lubrication effectiveness. The findings offer theoretical insights for dynamic lubrication system modeling and support gearbox design and optimization in aerospace and similar fields.