Modelling of the movement of small particle movement in a 90-degree corner

Abstract

Movement of small particle in a 90-degree corner is widely found in numerous industrial application and even in indoor environment. This report presents the study on the movement and trajectory of small particles flowing through a 90-degree corner in a turbulent setting. A two-phase model, Eulerian-Lagrangian approach was implemented by using a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software to run the simulation. The two-phase model consists of an inlet where air will flow out and transport the particles where needed. Three parameter studies were conducted; position of particle release, geometry of corner and velocity of inlet flow. Based on the simulation results, some of the findings that were found are that the particles tend to move together with continuous phase streamline. Accumulation of particles in the corner and middle open area were very common. It was mainly caused by a vortex which traps the particles. However, result trends were found to be very unpredictable. As such, further studies need to be carried out for a more comprehensive findings.