Numerical simulation of the particle flow and sieving behaviour on sieve bend/low head screen combination

This paper presents a numerical study of the particle flow and sieving behaviour of a sieve bend/low head screen combination in coal preparation. The particle flow is simulated by discrete element method while the water flow on the sieve bend is modelled by computational fluid dynamics. The effects of operational conditions are investigated by a series of controlled numerical experiments. The particle flow on the screen is analysed in terms of the velocity field, particle spatial distribution and residence time, while the sieving behaviour is analysed in terms of the overall percentage passing and percentage passing distribution along the screen. For the sieve bend, a large amount of water with slow velocity is preferable for overcoming cohesion between particles and controlling particle velocities, which can improve the percentage passing. For the low head screen, increasing the incline angle and the vibration amplitude in the horizontal direction can increase the throughput while maintaining the percentage passing.