Application of the particle in cell approach for the simulation of bubbling fluidized beds of Geldart A particles

The capability of the Multiphase Particle in Cell (MP-PIC) approach for modeling a bubbling fluidized bed of Geldart A particles has been investigated. Four different simulation cases, which include three different mesh sizes and two drag models with a realistic particle size distribution, have been designed and tested. Bubble properties have been extracted from the model predictions and compared with the predictions of empirical correlations as well as experimental data. The results show a promising predictive capability of the MP-PIC approach without the need to modify the drag force or other constitutive relationships in the model. This is in contrast to other studies by our group and others using the two-fluid model (TFM) approach. The use of the commercial code Barracuda to solve the MP-PIC system of equations limits our ability to understand the physical or numerical reasons behind this and therefore further work using an open-source code would be beneficial.