Modeling of Dust Explosion in the Industrial Spray Dryer

Abstract

Standard ANSYS FLUENT software was used to model a dust explosion inside a counter current spray-drying tower by replacing the dust with a flammable gas–air mixture. Two sets of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations for a dust explosion in the tower were carried out at a uniform gas concentration and variable concentration in the dryer, which reflect the distribution of wet and dry powder zones in the spray dryer. The CFD calculation showed that a dust explosion developed from the ignition point mostly to the upper part of the tower. The temperature, velocity, and reaction profiles followed the same upward pattern. Results of the calculations allowed us to determine the position and parameters of venting devices that should be installed to minimize the risk of damage to the dryer construction.

Keywords:

• Energy distribution
• Industrial measurements
• Industrial spray dryer
• Modeling of dust explosion
• Temperature profiles