Dear All,

                The Abstract & Bio are printed below.

                                Karen

Mrs. Karen Heide, Secretary

School of Chemical Engineering

Purdue University

Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering

480 Stadium Mall Drive

West Lafayette  IN  47907-2100

765-494-4050

765-494-0805 (Fax)

Purdue University

School of Chemical Engineering

Graduate Seminar Series – Centennial Seminar

Dr. Jennifer Sinclair-Curtis

Department of Chemical Engineering

University of Florida, Gainesville

“Particle-Laden Flows:  Applications, Modeling Approaches and Challenges”

October 4, 2011

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

FRNY G140

Abstract:

Particle processes pervade the chemical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and mining industries.  Many of these processes have significant opportunities for cost savings and productivity enhancements.  However, advances are currently unrealized due to the lack of understanding of particle flow behavior in industrial scale processes.  Reliable simulation tools can aid in this understanding and accelerate the achievement of substantial process improvements.  Recent advancements in multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can help facilitate these improvements.  However, state-of-the-art, multiphase CFD has limitations due to, for example, the lack of constitutive models that adequately describe the range of particle characteristics in a typical particle mix.

This presentation will overview the work in the development of improved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models for the simulation of both dilute and dense-phase fluid-particle flows.  The linkage between DEM (Discrete Element Method) models and CFD will be shown; that is, how DEM simulations can give insight into improved constitutive models needed for large-scale CFD simulations.  Some current challenges in particle-flow modeling, including the effect particle shape and the influence of the interstitial fluid on the details of particle motion, will also be discussed.