Simulation of Combustion and Thermal-flow Inside a Petroleum Coke Rotary Calcining Kiln

Calcined coke is the best material for making carbon anodes for smelting of alumina to aluminum. Calcining is an energy intensive industry and a significant amount of heat is wasted in the calcining process. Efficiently managing this energy resource is tied to the profit margin and survivability of a calcining plant. 3-D computational models are developed using FLUENT to simulate the calcining process inside the long slender kiln. Simplified models are employed to simulate the moving petocke bed with a uniform distribution of moisture evaporation, devolatilization, and coke fines entrainment rate with a conjugate radiation-convection-conduction calculation. The results show the 3-D behavior of the flow, the reaction inside the kiln, heat transfer and the effect of the tertiary air on coke bed heat transfer. The ultimate goals are to reduce energy consumption, recover waste-heat, increase thermal efficiency, and increase the product yield.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Year

2007

Author dc:creator

• Zhang, Zexuan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Wang, Ting
• Guillot, Martin
• Herrington, Paul

• Petroleum coke
• Calcination
• Rotary kiln
• Combustion
• Conjugate Heat transfer
• CFD

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1073

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-2054