A particle-level rigid fiber model for high-Reynolds number flow, implemented in a general-purpose CFD code

A particle-level rigid fiber model has been integrated into a general-purpose, open source computational fluid dynamics code to carry out detailed studies of fiber–flow interactions in realistic flow fields. The fibers are modeled as chains of cylindrical segments, and their translational and rotational degrees of freedom are considered. The equations of motion contain the contributions from hydrodynamic forces and torques, and the segment inertia is taken into account. The model is validated for the rotational motion of isolated fibers in simple shear flow, and the computed period of rotation is in good agreement with the one computed using Jeffery’s equation for a prolate spheroid with an equivalent aspect ratio. The model is applied by suspending a number of fibers in the swirling flow of a conical diffuser, resembling one stage in the dry-forming of pulp mats. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with an eddy-viscosity turbulence model are employed to describe the fluid motion, and a one-way coupling between the fibers and the fluid phase is included. The dependence of the fiber motion on initial position and density is analyzed