Continuous time markov chain model of particle motion in a rotary drum

In its simplest form a rotary drum consists of a cylindrical shell with longitudinal flights running internally along its length. The basic configuration is the direct contact cascading rotary unit where the solids enter one end of a rotating drum, move down the drum length cascading from the peripheral mounted lifting flights and exit at the other end. Analysis of the dynamics of the particles can lead to predictions of residence time for the particles. However the behaviour of the solid particulate matter is very complex and its motion unpredictable suggesting that stochastic methods of analysis may have a role. The objective of this paper is to develop a continuous time Markov Chain model of the system to account for the uncertain components of particle kinematics.