Numerical analysis of silo discharge
Abstract: A silo discharge with a bulk material consisting of iron ore pellets is studied. The silo is about 65 meters high and 38 meters wide. The quality of pellets decreases when they are exposed to high stresses while moving. The stresses are therefore not allowed to exceed a certain threshold. It must also be possible to trace the origin of a sample from the discharge. To fulfill these two demands the original design of the silo has a perforated inner tube to obtain a specific flow pattern. The simulations are performed using the finite element method with the pellets as a continuum in three dimensions. The constitutive relation used for the pellets is the Drucker-Prager plasticity model. The simulations are performed with the commercial software ABAQUS/Explicit and a pure Eulerian adaptive mesh. The preliminary original design is simulated together with proposed modified designs that benefit pellet quality. The result of the original design exceeds the threshold stress level and lacks the possibility to trace the sample’s origin. Of the investigated modified designs there is one that shows lower stresses and improved traceability; a silo where the inner tube has a smaller radius than the original design.
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