  We study the behavior of an assembly of $N$ granular particles contained in
two compartments within a simple kinetic approach. The particles belonging to
each compartment collide inelastically with each other and are driven by a
stochastic heat bath. In addition, the fastest particles can change compartment
at a rate which depends on their kinetic energy. Via a Boltzmann velocity
distribution approach we first study the dynamics of the model in terms of a
coupled set of equations for the populations in the containers and their
granular temperatures and find a crossover from a symmetric high-temperature
phase to an asymmetric low temperature phase. Finally, in order to include
statistical fluctuations, we solve the model within the Direct Simulation Monte
Carlo approach. Comparison with previous studies are presented.
