Is axial dispersion within rotating cylinders governed by the Froude number?

Axial dispersion rates of particles within horizontal rotating cylinders have been calculated for a decade of cylinder diameters. Throughout the range studied the rate of axial dispersion was found to be independent of the cylinder diameter. This phenomenon has been investigated further by spatially resolving the local contribution to the axial dispersion coefficient. This analysis demonstrates that, although the highest rates of axial dispersion occur at the free surface of the bed, there is a significant contribution to axial dispersion throughout the flowing region of the bed. Finally, based on an analogy with a Galton board, a linear relationship is proposed between the local rate of axial dispersion within a horizontal rotating cylinder and the product of the local particle concentration and the local shear rate in a plane perpendicular to the cylinder axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]