Abstract

The semi-resolved CFD-DEM method has emerged as a prominent tool for modelling particle-fluid interactions in granular materials with high particle size ratios. However, challenges arise from conflicting requirements regarding the CFD grid size, which must adequately resolve fluid flow in the pore space while maintaining a physically meaningful porosity field. This study addresses these challenges by introducing a two-grid mapping approach. Initially, the porosity field associated with fine particles is estimated using a coarse CFD grid, which is then mapped to a dynamically refined grid. To ensure conservation of total solid volume, a volume compensation procedure is implemented. The proposed method has been rigorously validated using benchmark cases, showing its high computational efficiency and accurate handling of complex porosity calculations near the surface of coarse particles. Moreover, the previously unreported impact of the empirical drag correlation on fluid-particle force calculations for both coarse and fine particles has been revealed.