The Numerical Simulation Of Solid-liquid Two-phase Flow Of The Suction Process Of SMS Particles

Abstract:The structure of the seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) mining system is complicated, which leads to the high cost of design and manufacturing of the testing system device. What’s more, the experimental study may be limited by the measurement accuracy, the flow field disturbance, the cost and time, and so on. So the numerical simulation of the suction process of SMS through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software has the vital significance, and by that, not only the accurate distribution regularity of flow field can be obtained, the suitable flow field program of the collector head can be explored, and the structural design of the collector head can be guided, but also the limits of the experimental study can be solved.Firstly, the physical and mechanical properties of SMS were tested. The test methods of parameters were mastered including dry and wet density, uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, triaxial compressive strength, cohesion and internal friction angle. And the corresponding test results were obtained. Furthermore, the size composition of crushed SMS was predicted, based on the theory of the ore classical granularity equations and combined the broken features SMS. The study provided the necessary parameter values of the numerical simulation of solid-liquid two-phase flow of the suction process of SMS particles.Secondly, the numerical simulation method of solid-liquid two-phase flow when SMS particles were suctioned based on the theory of the CFD was studied in this paper. Also, the paper studied the governing equation and selected the discrete and solution method of the governing equation. Besides, the suitable turbulence simulation methods and models according to the two-phase flow’s characteristics of the suction process were selected.Finally, calculation model of SMS’s collector cover was established, and the numerical simulation of solid-liquid two-phase flow during SMS particles’ suction process was done through the FLUENT software to analyze the basic characteristics of the internal flow in the collector cover. In addition, the influences of the shape of collector cover, the size of SMS particles, and the suction water velocity of the lifting pump on the lifting effect of SMS and output concentration at the outlet of collector cover were studied.