The interaction between small clusters of cohesive particles and laminar flow: Coupled DEM/CFD approach

A computational method for the simulation of systems where close coupling exists between a flowing fluid and mobile or stationary cohesive particles is presented in this work. The method is based on the solution of particle motion dynamics by the Discrete Element Method (DEM) coupled with the flow field calculation by a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. The method is demonstrated on two examples inspired by the problem of sand production in oil exploration, namely the stability of a random packed layer of cohesive particles under gravity and under laminar cross-flow. Regime maps suitable for the estimation of limiting conditions for the onset of particle erosion have been generated computationally.