VOF-DEM Solvers

This repository provides implementations of coupled Volume of Fluid (VOF) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) solvers for simulating multiphase flows with unresolved CFD-DEM methodology, where fluid cells are larger than individual particles. The solvers are developed within the CFDEMproject framework and are suitable for advanced micromechanical modeling of fluid-particle systems.

Overview

• cfdem_interDyMFoam: Solver using the PISO algorithm for transient incompressible flow with CFD-DEM coupling.
• cfdem_interDyMFoamPIMPLE_5x: Solver using the PIMPLE algorithm for enhanced stability and flexibility in time-stepping.

Both solvers integrate VOF for interface capturing and DEM for particle dynamics, enabling detailed studies of fluid-particle interactions in unresolved regimes.

Key Features

• Unresolved CFD-DEM Coupling: Fluid mesh is coarser than particle scale, allowing efficient simulation of large systems.
• VOF Interface Tracking: Accurate modeling of multiphase interfaces.
• Flexible Turbulence Modeling: Supports laminar, RAS, and LES turbulence models.
• Micromechanical Analysis: Designed for single-cycle and transient simulations, including injection and displacement scenarios.
• Validation and Benchmarking: Includes comparison with experimental data for injection pressure evolution.

Publications

For detailed methodology and validation, see:
Phys. Rev. E 102, 013301 (2020)

Repository Structure

• cfdem_interDyMFoam/
  PISO-based solver source code and configuration files.
• cfdem_interDyMFoamPIMPLE_5x/
  PIMPLE-based solver source code and configuration files.
• figures/
  Reference figures.
• README.md
  Project documentation.
• Paper.pdf
  Reference publication.

Example Workflow

1. Setup

The computational domain consists of solid particles and an unresolved CFD mesh.

FIG. 2: Domain setup and volume fraction snapshots for injected fluid.

2. Simulation

• Configure case files and parameters as per your scenario.
• Run the solver (cfdem_interDyMFoam or cfdem_interDyMFoamPIMPLE_5x) using OpenFOAM utilities.
• Analyze results for volume fraction, void fraction, particle positions, and injection pressure.

3. Validation

Comparison with experimental data is provided for injection pressure evolution:

FIG. 3: Experimental vs. computational results for injection pressure.