DEM study of granular discharge rate through a vertical pipe with a bend outlet in small absorber sphere system

•The work concerns granular flow in a vertical pipe with a bend.•Discharge rate fluctuation in vertical pipe are mainly from velocity fluctuation.•Steady discharge rate decreases rapidly and saturates with μs increasing.•Steady discharge rate Ws still obey the 5/2 power law of pipe internal diameter.•A correlation developed for steady discharge rate for this new geometry.