Flow behavior of non-spherical particle flowing in hopper

Ellipsoidal particles flowing in the hopper were simulated by using the discrete element method (DEM), and described by the multi-element method. The contact detection algorithm and equations for ellipsoidal particle motion in hopper were developed. And the simulation results were confirmed by experiment. Additionally, the mass flow rate, pressure distribution and velocity distribution of two kinds of particles were examined. The results show that the mass flow rate of ellipsoidal particles is smaller than that of spherical particles. There is a maximum value of pressure drop at the top of the junction. Besides, the pressure drop decreases with the discharging time increasing. The velocity of spherical particle is larger than that of ellipsoidal.