Numerical Simulations of the Exploitation Parameters of the Rotary Feeder

Abstract The article presents the problems of determining the mass efficiency of a rotary feeder depending on the selection of design parameters of the device, such as outer diameter, number of blades and rotational speed of the rotor. The hitherto theoretical methods of calculating the feeder efficiency were presented, as well as a new method of determining the device operation parameters was proposed. For this purpose, the numerical Discrete Element Method was used, which allowed simulating the transport of limestone powder in a cell feeder with various design variants. The results of the tests showed that the above design parameters affect the instantaneous efficiency of the feeder and thus impact the distribution of the dosed material during the operation of the device. Depending on the design solution, the simulation results gave information on the fill factor of the feeders. The study showed a significant potential of DEM simulation in the design of circular feeders intended for dosing bulk materials.