Comparative Study on the Characterization Method of Particle Mixing Index Using DEM Method

Different methods of particle mixing index are summarized in detail, such as average height method, nearest neighbour method, neighbour distance method, Lacey method, mixing entropy method, coordination number method, particle-scale index method and Siiria method. All these particle mixing indexes are calculated in two classical particle related process, that are the rotating drum and the spouted bed based on simulation results using DEM method. Then the comparative analysis of different kinds of particle mixing index is given in different aspects, such as calculation complexity, parameter dependency, grid dependency, color dependency and direction dependency. The performances of different particle mixing indexes are evaluated, the advantages and disadvantages of different indexes are pointed out, and the recommendation adaptation ranges are given finally. General speaking, the neighbour distance method seems as the best choice for studying the particle mixing process because of its superior performance.