For some years experiments have been carried out to investigate the effects of flow-promoting inserts on the flow pattern during silo discharge; it is however difficult to provide unequivocal guidelines on exactly where the inserts should be placed for optimum effects. This proposal describes attempts at using finite element methods to simulate the flow of silo discharge in the presence of flow-promoting device. The simulations show that a double-cone insert, if positioned properly, provides the most optimal flow pattern, although mass flow cannot always be obtained if the hopper is getting rather shallow.

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