An Efficient CFD Model for Air/Particle Saltating Flows

The study reports on the development of a computational-fluid-dynamics model is presented suitable for computationally efficient evaluation of particle transport along loose surfaces. These surfaces can be described within the context of an interaction with a two-phase air/particle mixture in a state of combined suspension and saltation. The results suggest an approach for approximating the two-phase system with coupling to a moving surface, along with the inclusion of impact and entrainment fluxes at the surface that is generally extendable to a wide range of particle/surface conditions. The model results are compared to available experimental data on particle concentration profiles along saltating surfaces, and applied to geometry involving complex three-dimensional flow to show the generality of the approach.© 2002 ASME