Hybrid fictitious domain-immersed boundary solver coupled with discrete element method for simulations of flows laden with arbitrarily-shaped particles.

Particle-laden flows are commonly encountered in numerous engineering applications, e.g. fluidization, crystallization, granulation, drying, catalytic cracking, food processing, biomass gasification, or suspension and slurry transport in general. However, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations containing freely moving and irregularly shaped bodies are still a challenging topic. More so, if the bodies are densely distributed and large enough to affect the fluid flow. In the present work, we propose a finite volume based CFD solver for mathematical modeling of the flow-induced movement of interacting irregular particles. The modeling approach uses a hybrid fictitious domain-immersed boundary method for inclusion of the solids. The bodies movements and contacts are solved via discrete element method (DEM). The new solver is implemented within the OpenFOAM framework, validated against data from literature, and utilized in simulations of catalytic washcoat deposition in a filter for automotive exhaust gas aftertreatment, considering a realistic size distribution of non-spherical catalyst microparticles. • New solver for simulations of flows laden with irregular particles was developed. • The library is open-source and part of the OpenFOAM framework. • The solid-fluid interface is fully resolved via an immersed boundary method variant. • The particles movement is treated within a level set-like discrete element method. • The solver was utilized in simulations of catalytic washcoat deposition in a filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]