Challenges in Study of Single Particles and Particle Swarms

Numerical simulation of multiphase flows in processing equipment in industry with two-fluid models and Eulerian-Lagrangian approaches requires the constitutive equations describing the interactions between the dispersed phase of high concentration and the continuous phase. The status of research on the forces on dispersed solid and fluid particles is reviewed in this article. As compared with the knowledge on drag of single solid particles, study on particle swarms and on other forces is not sufficient to meet the demand of reliable and efficient numerical simulation of multiphase flows. Thus, thorough study on the particle swarms becomes the key to accurate multi-scale simulation of multiphase flows. Besides, the development of efficient algorithm dealing with the non-uniformity on both equipment and mesoscopic scales is recognized as an important issue to be resolved. The research topics in the near future are suggested.