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Research Interests:
My areas of interest include granular flows and multiphase flows in
general, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and as-yet unexplored interests in
the physics of music, sound generation and propagation, as well as
biomechanics. In particular, rheology, friction, and contact
models are of interest to me.
Research Summary:
Elutriation is the separation of two or more distinct solid species based
on their settling speed differences when carried by a flow. In
fluidized systems, where the fluidization of solids depends upon the
delicate balance between upward drag and downward settling, these settling
speed differences can be successfully used to separate different
materials, say different products in a reactor.
More than 50 elutriation correlations have been proposed in the literature
over the last two decades. However, little agreement between
experiments and the empirical predictions has been achieved and a
disagreement between the two of over 100%; is not uncommon.
My work focuses on elutriation measurements on beds composed of two
Geldart group B species which differ in size and density.
The resulting experimental data will be compared with predictions derived
from kinetic theory for binary systems. The application of this
model to the experimental system will represent the first elutriation
prediction without empiricism. My work is therefore focused toward
providing reliable experimental data with which these and other models can
be compared and validated so that, eventually, a framework for predicting
elutriation can be established.
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