Beyond Spheres: Mixing and Segregation of Aspherical Binary Granular Materials in Vibrated Gas–Fluidized Beds

Granular flows are ubiquitous, with applications ranging from mining to polymers to carbon sequestration to food–processing. Mining ore segregation requires immense water solvents, making the process unsustainable. Free–bubbling flow regimes within gas–fluidized beds are chaotic and recent research (e.g., Guo et al., 2021, PNAS 118, e2108647118) has shown that it can be ordered into periodic, structured, rising bubbles by vertically vibrating the fluidized bed. We extend this phenomenon to aspherical grains and demonstrate that this dynamic structuring persists in unary and binary systems of different density and particle size ratios. The study also investigates the effects of vibrational stress on mixing and segregation. Optically imaged experiment data for various initial particle arrangements of spherical and aspherical particles is post–processed to quantify bubble dynamics and mixing characteristics. Results from NETL's CFD–SuperDEM simulations are compared with experimental findings. The ability to mix or segregate particles is crucial, and findings from this work offer valuable insights into the mining industry's future.