CFD-DEM Investigation on Particle Separation from Fluid Flow Using Magnetic Fields

Abstract

This study presents a numerical simulation of magnetic particle separation from fluid flow using CFD-DEM modeling. Studies have shown that magnetic fields are an effective tool for particle separation, especially on small scales, and variables such as magnetic field intensity, fluid velocity, and particle size significantly impact separation efficiency. Other factors, such as the initial location of particles and their density, were also examined, and their effect on the attraction of particles was determined. The magnetic field was applied through a line dipole in the fluid channel. The simulation results show that particles accumulate in the channel area where the line dipole is located, with higher particle concentration at the beginning of the dipole compared to other sections. Additionally, the results indicate that increasing the magnetic field intensity significantly improves separation efficiency, while increasing fluid velocity can decrease this efficiency. At a velocity of 0.2 m per second, results showed that increasing the magnetic field intensity from 0.6 to 3 T improved the capture efficiency from 69 % to 91 %. Similarly, at a magnetic field intensity of 1 T, reducing the fluid velocity from 0.3 to 0.1 m per second doubled the capture efficiency. In the optimal state, combining maximum field intensity with minimum velocity can achieve an efficiency of 98 %. It was also observed that larger particle diameters and higher densities have a positive effect on particle attraction.