Charged & Magnetic Particles

Particles can be modeled as having any property, such as charge or magnetic polarity, which can be assigned or calculated during a simulation.

Electrostatic forces between particles acting at a distance can be modeled in EDEM using a virtual contact radius equal to the mean radius of the charge surrounding the particle.

A more complex model including longer range forces between particles can be implemented. This requires a scheme to calculate the charge exchange between particles relative to their separation and each individual contribution to the mean field.

Tribocharging of particles can be simulated using any arbitrary model which accounts for the properties of both the particles and the equipment surfaces.

Utilizing EDEM’s ability to model particle-wall contacts with high spatial and temporal resolution dynamically enables this complex phenomena to be simulated. The example shows the tribocharging of fine particles sliding down a chute.

The interaction between a charged particle and electric field can be modeled using either an analytical model of the field, or a converged field calculated using an external solution. The same principle applies to interaction between magnetized particles and a magnetic field.

For more information on particle-EMAG coupling see One-way coupling with Field Data.

In the more simple case of an analytical model the position of the particle in the global frame is used to calculate the attractive or repulsive force on the particle. This is implemented in EDEM as a particle body force.

A more sophisticated example taken from simulation of electrographic printing processes is shown in the example. Charged particles are selectively attracted to the imaging regions and transported on imaging roller for transfer to the printed surface.

For more information on this application and how to put EDEM and DEM Solutions simulation know-how to work for you…Contact us