A Monte Carlo simulation of the packing and segregation of spheres in cylinders

In this work, the Monte Carlo method (MC) was extended to simulate the packing and segregation of particles subjected to a gravitational field and confined inside rigid walls. The method was used in systems containing spheres inside cylinders. The calculation of void fraction profiles in both the axial and radial directions was formulated, and some results are presented. In agreement with experimental data, the simulations show that the packed beds present structural ordering near the cylindrical walls up to a distance of about 4 particle diameters. The simulations also indicate that the presence of the cylindrical wall does not seem to have a strong effect on the gravitational segregation phenomenon.