Scaling Analysis and CFD Simulations of the Silos Discharge Process

摘要

In this work, we numerically examine granular flows in a silo using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In particular, we use constitutive models implemented in a commercial ANSYS software package and employ them to simulate the silo discharge process. Here, the analysis is focussed on the velocity and density profiles at the silo exit, while the numerical protocol is validated, comparing with experimental data of mass flow rate. Furthermore, the outcomes obtained for different sizes of the orifice are rationalized employing a theoretical scheme, which is based on the self-similar properties of the density and the velocity profiles.