An investigation on heat transfer of granular materials in the novel flighted rotary drum

In this study, a model is carried out to investigate heat transfer within a granular system in the novel flighted rotary drum (FRD). The model using Eulerian continuum approach (ECA) is developed and then verified by comparing with experimental data published previously. The effects of flight configuration, number of flights, rotational speed, and fill level on heat transfer characteristics are discussed. The results show that increasing rotational speed can intensify heat transfer to a certain degree, but it is not significant. The average temperature of granular materials increases with the increase of the number of flights and the decrease of the fill level. More importantly, the average temperature is strongly dependent on flight configurations (including different length ratios and flight tip angles). There is an enhancement in heat transfer when the length ratio S₁/S₂is 1 or the flight tip angle is higher.