Localized fluidization in granular materials: Theoretical and numerical study.

We present analytical and numerical results on localized fluidization within a granular layer subjected to a local injection of fluid. As the injection rate increases the three different regimes previously reported in the literature are recovered: homogeneous expansion of the bed, fluidized cavity in which fluidization starts developing above the injection area, and finally the chimney of fluidized grains when the fluidization zone reaches the free surface. The analytical approach is at the continuum scale, based on Darcy's law and Therzaghi's effective stress principle. It provides a good description of the phenomenon as long as the porosity of the granular assembly remains relatively homogeneous, i.e., for small injection rates. The numerical approach is at the particle scale based on the coupled discrete element method and a pore-scale finite volume method. It tackles the more heterogeneous situations which occur at larger injection rates. The results from both methods are in qualitative agreement with data published independently. A more quantitative agreement is achieved by the numerical model. A direct link is evidenced between the occurrence of the different regimes of fluidization and the injection aperture. While narrow apertures let the three different regimes be distinguished clearly, larger apertures tend to produce a single homogeneous fluidization regime. In the former case, it is found that the transition between the cavity regime and the chimney regime for an increasing injection rate coincides with a peak in the evolution of inlet pressure. Finally, the occurrence of the different regimes is defined in terms of the normalized flux and aperture.

OSAS and metabolic diseases: Round Table, 99(th) SIO National Congress, Bari 2012.

This draft of the Official Round Table held during the 99th SIO National Congress is an updated review on the diagnostic tools, the importance of polysomnographic recording and a critical analysis of the surgical techniques in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). The review and analysis of available publications is the premise along with a specific analysis of the relationship between OSAS and metabolic and vascular disorders. In addition, the most recent investigations on sleep disorders and altered glucose metabolism are summarised and discussed together with the results of a study by the authors involving a fairly large number of patients with OSAS and diabetes.