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Open research questions in Granular flow and fluidized beds

193 gap statements mined from Granular flow and fluidized beds papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,932 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The lack of effective utilization of larger steel-slag particles. The need for stronger aerodynamic driving force and longer gas-solid interaction time to obtain sufficient impact kinetic energy. The limited understanding of the effect of nozzle structural variations on particle acceleration.

    Study on the effect of laval nozzle structure on single particle impact velocity · 2026 · DOI

  • It highlights the need to investigate the effect of lock hopper outlet diameter and half-cone angle on the average material discharge rate.

    Experimental investigation on liquid-solid flow and wall stress distribution characteristics in a slag-discharge lock hopper of entrained-flow coal gasification system · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for a spatially and temporally well-defined investigation of segregation processes. The research gap is the lack of understanding of the temporal and spatial evolution of kinetic segregation.

    DEM study of spatiotemporal segregation in cylindrical containers · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge is to ensure the convergence stability and convergence speed of the model. The paper identifies the need to reduce the amount of calculation and cost savings. The challenge is to simulate the flow of concrete in bends with different gas volume fractions.

    Study on unsteady pumping characteristics of concrete in gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow pipeline based on CFD-DEM · 2026 · DOI

  • The current liquid bridge models assume perfectly smooth particles, which does not reflect the physical reality of particle roughness. The lack of a model that takes into account particle roughness leads to inaccurate simulations of the behavior of wet granular materials.

    A numerical method incorporating the improved liquid bridge model into DEM for simulating the behaviors of wet granular materials · 2026 · DOI

  • The study is based on simulated data. The models are limited to specific types of contacts and materials. The study does not account for other factors that may affect the load-displacement behaviour.

    Revisiting the implementation of Hertz-Mindlin and Hertz-Mindlin -Deresiewicz models for application in the discrete element method · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the need to account for the loading history in determining the tangential force. Prior work has not adequately addressed this issue. The authors aim to improve the accuracy of the discrete element method in modeling granular matter.

    Revisiting the implementation of Hertz-Mindlin and Hertz-Mindlin -Deresiewicz models for application in the discrete element method · 2026 · DOI

  • The effects of operational parameters on mixing behaviors of particles remain incompletely understood. The influence of impeller rotational speed and vessel wrapped angle on the motion characteristics of non-spherical particles is not well studied.

    Analyzing mixing behavior in a paddle mixer with two types of non-spherical particles through DEM simulation and bench test · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to consider both post-impact kinematics and the evolution of kinematic variables during contact. The difficulty of developing more elaborate formulations of the coefficient of restitution for better prediction of post-collision rebound kinematics.

    The influence of particle shape on planar impacts and the correlation between impact angle and particle orientation · 2026 · DOI

  • Poor fluidization quality of fine cohesive particles limits their heat transfer performance. The lack of a coupled physical framework for optimizing vibrational thermal processors. The need for a bond number scaling strategy to represent fine particle behaviors.

    Thermal DEM study of heat transfer and flow patterns of fine cohesive particles under vertical vibration · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the collective behavior of large ensembles of interacting dynamic objects, particularly in situations involving passages through bottlenecks. The difficulty of obtaining experimental data under systematic parameter variations, particularly when biological objects are involved.

    Mechanically driven particles as simple models for silo discharge, collective behavior of animate beings, and human egress dynamics · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to investigate the effect of grain size and particle shape on surge behavior. The lack of research on the nature of instabilities in steady, granular flows.

    Surge instability of dry granular materials in large scale rotating drum experiments · 2026 · DOI

  • Conventional simulation methods have limitations in modeling energy dissipation dynamics. Prior approaches do not explicitly connect microscopic contact-level dissipation to macroscopic friction. There is a need for a simulation method that preserves consistent energy accounting while localizing dissipation at particle contacts.

    Simulation method for particle-contact friction in granular media · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to calibrate the contact parameters between particles and between particle and geometry.

    Numerical investigation on the flow characteristics of cohesive and non-cohesive polydisperse particles in a double barrel with differential velocity · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the flow characteristics of cohesive and non-cohesive particles in a mixer. The need for a numerical investigation on the flow characteristics of polydisperse particles in a double barrel with differential velocity.

    Numerical investigation on the flow characteristics of cohesive and non-cohesive polydisperse particles in a double barrel with differential velocity · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the geometry-controlled onset of inertial drag in granular impact, including the effects of intruder shape and size.

    Geometry-controlled onset of inertial drag in granular impact · 2026 · DOI

  • Prior work has considered static or quasi-static particle assemblies, not high-inertial collisions.

    Dynamic response, viscoelastic relaxation and boundary deformation in granular photoelasticity · 2026 · DOI

  • Further investigation into the viscoelastic properties of the polymer particles and their effect on the dynamic response. Development of more advanced theoretical frameworks to account for particle deformation and high-inertial conditions. Experimental validation of the updated mathematical formulation.

    Dynamic response, viscoelastic relaxation and boundary deformation in granular photoelasticity · 2026 · DOI

  • Experimental validation of the simulation results. Investigation of the effects of different pipeline configurations on the flow of concrete. Study of the effects of varying gas volume fractions on the stability of the pump truck.

    Study on unsteady pumping characteristics of concrete in gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow pipeline based on CFD-DEM · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could inform the study on overlapping liquid bridges, - The dimensionless value V * Bo could be introduced into the liquid bridge rupture criterion to consider the influence of gravity, - Future work could consider the influence of other factors on the liquid bridge…

    A numerical method incorporating the improved liquid bridge model into DEM for simulating the behaviors of wet granular materials · 2026 · DOI

  • The study uses a simulation-based approach, - The magnetic cohesion has been studied in a limited context, - The model is based on the Mutual Dipole Method and the Inclusion…

    An experimentally validated magnetic force model for discrete element modeling of paramagnetic granular media · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies can use the introduced magnetic force model to simulate the behavior of magnetic granular materials, - Research can be conducted to validate the model using more experimental data, - The model can be extended to study other types of granular…

    An experimentally validated magnetic force model for discrete element modeling of paramagnetic granular media · 2026 · DOI

  • Studying the behavior of active and passive particles in more complex geometries, - Investigating the effect of different excitation parameters on the level of activity, - Examining the segregation phenomena in mixtures of active and passive…

    Mechanically driven particles as simple models for silo discharge, collective behavior of animate beings, and human egress dynamics · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the effect of different friction coefficients on the flow behavior. Examining the role of non-local effects in other types of granular flows. Developing a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between bulk friction and contact friction angle.

    Flow localization and regime transition behavior in gravity-driven granular flows in wide inclines · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the relationship between the macroscopic dissipation coefficient γ and the microscopic dissipation function F (µ), - Exploring the application of the model to different granular systems, - Studying the effect of initial configurations on the behavior of granular…

    Simulation method for particle-contact friction in granular media · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Granular flow and fluidized beds

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of effective utilization of larger steel-slag particles (“Study on the effect of laval nozzle structure on single particle impact velocity”, 2026); (2) The research gap is the lack of understanding of the temporal and spatial evolution of kinetic segregation (“DEM study of spatiotemporal segregation in cylindrical containers”, 2026); (3) The lack of a model that takes into account particle roughness leads to inaccurate simulations of the behavior of wet granular materials (“A numerical method incorporating the improved liquid bridge model into DEM for…”, 2026); (4) The effects of operational parameters on mixing behaviors of particles remain incompletely understood (“Analyzing mixing behavior in a paddle mixer with two types of non-spherical…”, 2026); (5) The lack of a coupled physical framework for optimizing vibrational thermal processors (“Thermal DEM study of heat transfer and flow patterns of fine cohesive particles…”, 2026). 193 gap statements have been mined from Granular flow and fluidized beds papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,932 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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