Transient numerical simulation of heat recovery coke oven based on chemical percolation devolatilization model

ABSTRACT

The actual coking engineering challenge is changed into a numerical simulation calculation problem due to the difficulty in monitoring the parameters of the heat recovery coke furnace. The release law of coal volatiles is calculated using the chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model in this study. To explore the distribution properties of the temperature field and flow field in the furnace as well as the burning condition of the surface of the coal cake, the user-defined function (UDF) is coupled with the porous medium model, and the transient condition simulation is carried out. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparing the temperature values at different times with the actual parameters. According to the calculations, the fuel burns more fully when the equivalency ratio is close to 1, and that the flame propagation speed increases with combustion temperature. When the bulk density is 1100 kg/m³ and the air input velocity is 13.3 m/s, the reaction lasts for 15 hours and the emission of volatiles is very minimal, resulting in a poor combustion reaction. The coal cake surface’s major temperature range is 1200 K to 1400 K after 30 hours of reaction time, which is beneficial to accelerate the maturation of coke. The coal cake surface’s temperature distribution at 45 and 60 hours is lower than that of the coke. Additionally, an increase in air and flame propagation velocity can strengthen furnace disturbance, enhance the temperature and velocity distribution uniformity, hasten coke ripening, and enhance coke quality.

KEYWORDS:

• Heat recovery coke oven
• CPD model
• burning
• transient simulation
• UDF

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chunyu Fan

Chunyu Fan's main research direction is the heat and mass transfer and combustion characteristics of fluid. In June 2020, he received a bachelor's degree in energy and power engineering from Dezhou University, and a master's degree in power engineering and engineering physics from Liaoning University of Science and Technology in March 2023.

Fanrui Meng

Fanrui Meng is a lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering of Liaoning University of Science and Technology. He graduated from the Department of Thermal Energy and Power Engineering of Liaoning University of Science and Technology in July 2008. He received a master's degree in Thermal Energy and Power Engineering of Liaoning University of Science and Technology in 2011 and a doctorate in chemistry of Liaoning University of Science and Technology in 2015. The main research direction is clean coal conversion and utilization; biomass solid waste heat conversion; chemical looping hydrogen production technology.

Qianwang Cheng

Qianwang Cheng's main research direction is biomass pyrolysis and combustion characteristics. He obtained a bachelor's degree in thermal energy and power engineering from Anhui Jianzhu University in June 2020 and a master's degree in power engineering and engineering thermal physics from Liaoning University of Science and Technology in March 2023.

Xianchun Li

Xianchun Li is currently a professor in the College of Chemical Engineering of Liaoning University of Science and Technology. He graduated from the boiler major of Xi'an Jiaotong University in July 1993, obtained a master's degree in metallurgical engineering from Anshan University of Science and Technology in 2005, and obtained a doctorate in chemical technology from Dalian University of Technology in 2011. The main research direction is clean combustion technology and theory; flue gas purification technology and theory; low temperature plasma gasification technology and theory; numerical simulation technology of flow, heat transfer and combustion in ammonia metallurgical chemical reaction engineering.