A Hybrid Soft-sphere/IBM-VoF Model for Modelling Wet Particle Collision Dynamics

Particle collisions and interactions play a key role in many industrial applications including particulate, granulation, and agglomeration processes. The presence of moisture in these processes, in the form of liquid layers or droplets, changes the collision dynamics and the behaviour of colliding particles. In this work, we combine a soft-sphere collision model with an Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) that is coupled to a Volume of Fluid (VoF) method, for the prediction of wet particle collisions. Numerical results are validated against previous experimental and numerical work by simulating spherical particles colliding with a wet flat surface, and wet particle-particle collisions. The effect of different parameters on the characteristics of the collisions is investigated. Finally, a demonstration of particle interactions during agglomeration at a water-oil interface is presented.M.A.S