Development of a transient numerical model for a Hybrid Rotary Kiln

Nicholas Phiri, Daniel Madyira, Waldemar Cieslakiewicz

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

The Hybrid Rotary Kiln (HRK) is an industrial device used for the thermal treatment of powdery, granular, lumpy, dry or wet materials. Kilns are widely used in cement production, drying of bricks, strengthening of petroleum coke for aluminium production, ceramics processing, glass processing and reclaiming of nickel from used batteries. The HRK is classified into Direct Heated Rotary Kiln (DHRK), Indirect Heated Rotary Kiln (IHRK) and Combination of Direct and Indirect Heated Rotary Kiln. The study of kilns has shown that there are significant problems related to poor heat transfer. This leads to unfinished processing such as incomplete drying or chemical processes. Product reworks lead to increased costs. In addition, incomplete combustion of fuel that leads to harmful emissions of flue gasses exacerbate environmental pollution. To address these challenges, a transient numerical model is required to better analyse and design more efficient kilns. A CFD model was developed using Star CCM+. To validate the model, experimental tests were conducted on an industrial prototype using a ceramic material and LPG fuel. The temperatures achieved during the test were 694oC for the burner, 135oC for the ceramic material with exhaust gases exiting at 154oC. Such high exhaust temperatures represent significant energy losses, which can be mitigated by optimizing the kiln process parameters.

Original languageEnglish
Pages121-132
Number of pages12
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Event11th South African Conference on Computational and Applied Mechanics, SACAM 2018 - Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
Duration: 17 Sept 201819 Sept 2018

Conference

Conference11th South African Conference on Computational and Applied Mechanics, SACAM 2018
Country/TerritorySouth Africa
CityVanderbijlpark
Period17/09/1819/09/18

Keywords

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Direct heat-ed rotary kiln
  • Indirect heated rotary kiln
  • Transient CFD model

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computational Mechanics

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