Gas-Solid Flow Field in Lab-BuiltMedical Sand Blaster: A Simulation Study

The gas-solid flow field in the pneumatic sand blaster,the lab-built medical equipment for rehabilitation of osteoarthritis,was mathematically modeled,theoretically analyzed and numerically simulated with Fluent software for design optimization.The influence of the intake pressure on the sand blasting behavior was investigated.The simulated results show that the intake pressure has a major impact.To be specific,as the pressure increases,the velocity of sand-particle increases,and has an increasing radial distribution; its intermittent flow-mode turns into continuous flow-mode at a pressure above 0.4 MPa; and the volume fraction of sand-particle changes in an increase-decrease manner.When it comes to safe and comfortable rehabilitation of osteoarthritis,the intake pressure,volume fraction and size distribution of sand-particle were optimized.We suggest that the simulated results be of some technological interest in development of medical pneumatic sand blaster.