Numerical simulation of dry particle coating processes by the discrete element method

In dry particle coating, tiny sub-micron guest particles are coated onto larger micron-sized host particles by using mechanical forces. In this paper several dry particle coating systems, i.e. the Mechanofusion system, the Hybridizer system and the magnetically assisted impaction coating system, have been modeled and studied using the discrete element method (DEM). The results include an analysis of kinematic variables such as translational, rotational kinetic energies, as well as the computation of collision strength and frequency for the different dry particle coating systems. The operation of these systems under different operating parameters have also been studied and these results illustrate the importance of DEM in terms of understanding the dynamics of dry particle coating systems. Areas that require further research are also discussed.