Selection of Relative DEM Time Step for Modelling Fast Fluidized Bed of A-Type FCC Particles

In chemical production processes, the most suitable operation regime for A-Type powders such as typical FCC particles is high-speed fast fluidization owing to their uniquely advantageous properties. Discrete element method (DEM) for modelling fast fluidization with A-Type powders has rarely been reported. How to appropriately select the DEM time step and the stiffness coefficient is one of the most critical problems for stable and accurate calculation. This article mainly discusses the effect of the stiffness coefficient and DEM time step on simulations of A-type FCC particles. In order to describe the effect of both parameters and their complex interaction, a dimensionless relative DEM time step is introduced. In total, nine cases with different numbers of relative time steps are adopted for modelling a microfluidized bed of A-Type FCC particles, the regime of which is proved to be fast fluidization. Results show that three bifurcations occur in all the simulations. Only the moderate relative time step possesses the capability of modelling the process of particle collision and thus predicts the right flow regime with asymmetric and heterogeneous typical fast fluidized structures. When the relative time step increases to large rank, simulations predict untrue fluidization regimes with symmetric and homogeneous structures. Moreover, both over-large and over-low relative time steps cause excessive particle overlap and thus a divergence of simulation. The further optimization of moderate relative DEM time step in relation to real particle property is unidentifiable and is thus an outstanding issue. That the range of the moderate relative time step is limited indicates that the common soft-sphere model is poor at modelling fast fluidization of A-Type particles. It is suggested that possible future work should be focused on improving the simulation frame and employing the molecular dynamics model to more appropriately deal with particle contact.