A generalized three-dimensional discrete element method with electrostatic induced cohesion

Many granular materials can be electrostatically charged when colliding as part of several dust handling processes (Pei et al. in Powder Technol 248:34–43, 2013). The attractive and repulsive forces that result from this handling can lead to the aggregation or segregation of the grains (Grzybowski et al. in Nat Mater 2(4):241–245, 2003) and to an unanticipated grain dispersion (Wu et al. in Ind Eng Chem Res 47(15):5005–5015, 2008). Therefore, understanding the kinematics and dynamics of electrically charged grains is very important in the processing of materials with electrostatic induced cohesion (Pei et al. in AIChE J 61(6):1792–1803, 2015). The present work introduces a new level set-based discrete element method which enables us, for the first time, to a generalized modeling and computational simulation of real three-dimensional cohesive granular media such as clays. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]