Multiscale modeling of granular and solid-liquid flows in chemical engineering processes

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Particulate flows are ubiquitous in the chemical processes of many industries such as the pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, petroleum, food, household care and cosmetics. This type of flows exhibits complex behavior that, in spite of recent progress in fundamental and applied research, still remains poorly understood. In the pharmaceutical industry, for instance, the lack of knowledge concerning the mechanisms governing the granulation, blending and tableting operations in the manufacturing of solid form drugs is such that the design of these processes is generally achieved by empirical methods. Toothpastes, shampoos and face creams represent examples of structured fluids made up of particles suspended in a carrier liquid, the production of which is challenging because the properties of these multifaceted end-use products must be carefully controlled. The objective of this research program is to gain insight into the behavior of particulate systems by developing accurate and practical models that simulate the flow dynamics in such systems. More precisely, our work has led to the development of accurate computer models that we have used to simulate the mixing of dry particles in blending equipment as well as to shed light on particulate flows in chemical reactors and paper coating applications. In this context, our work will aim at refining our current models so that they can deal efficiently with more complex and increasingly realistic particulate systems, such as those that exhibit various particle shapes and bring into play interparticle forces. This research program also focuses on computational fluid dynamics and, more precisely, on the development of robust multiscale models for the investigation of incompressible fluid flows occurring in various applications, notably in solid-liquid mixing and filtration. The benefits of this research program include a better understanding of the flow behavior of particulate systems, and the development of more efficient and controllable chemical engineering processes involving dry granular or multiphase solid-liquid flows. Finally, it will enable the training of highly qualified chemical engineers for the design and operation of chemical processes involving powders and particles of all kinds.