Particle-in-cell simulations were performed to understand the interaction of the solar wind with localized magnetic fields on the sunlit surface of the Moon. The results indicated a mini-magnetosphere was formed which had a thin magnetopause with the thickness of the electron skin depth. It was also found that the solar wind penetrated into the cavity of the magnetosphere intermittently rather than in a steady manner. The solar wind that moved around the magnetosphere was observed to hit the surface of the Moon, implying that it may be the cause of the lunar swirl formation on the surface.

This study focuses on computational particle fluid dynamics (CPFD) modeling for the fast pyrolysis of biomass in a conical spouted bed reactor. The CPFD simulation was conducted to understand the hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and biomass fast pyrolysis reaction of the conical spouted bed reactor and the multiphase-particle in cell (MP-PIC) model was used to investigate the fast pyrolysis of biomass in a conical spouted bed reactor. A two-stage semi-global kinetics model was applied to model the fast pyrolysis reaction of biomass and the commercial code (Barracuda) was used in simulations. The temperature of solid particles in a conical spouted bed reactor showed a uniform temperature distribution along the reactor height. The yield of fast pyrolysis products from the simulation was compared with the experimental data; the yield of fast pyrolysis products was 74.1wt.% tar, 17.4wt.% gas, and 8.5wt.% char. The comparison of experimental measurements and model predictions shows the model’s accuracy. The CPFD simulation results had great potential to aid the future design and optimization of the fast pyrolysis process for biomass.