scholarly journals Effects of Mesh Generation on Modelling Aluminium Anode Baking Furnaces

Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Jose Libreros ◽  
Maria Trujillo

Anode baking is critical in carbon anode production for aluminium extraction. Operational and geometrical parameters have a direct impact on the performance of anode baking furnaces (ABF), and hence on the resulting anode quality. Gas flow patterns, velocity field, pressure drop, shear stress and turbulent dissipation rate are the main operational parameters to be optimised, considering a specific geometry that is discretised as a mesh. Therefore, this paper aims to establish the need to generate an appropriate mesh to perform accurate numerical simulations of three-dimensional turbulent flow in a single section of an ABF. Two geometries are considered for generating three meshes, using COMSOL and cfMesh, with different refinement zones. The three meshes are used for creating nine incompressible isothermal turbulent flow models, with varying operational parameters. Velocity field, convergence and turbulent viscosity ratio in the outlet of fuel inlet pipes are the quantification criteria. Quantification criteria have shown that a better physical representation is obtained by refining in the whole combustion zone. COMSOL Multiphysics’ built-in mesh generator allows quadrilateral, tetrahedron and hexahedron shapes. Adaptive cell sizes and shapes have a place within modelling, since refining a mesh in appropriate zones brings the Peclet number down when the incompressible isothermal turbulent flow is simulated.

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Dudek ◽  
Richard A. Wessel ◽  
Joseph R. Strempek

Abstract A numerical model has been developed to simulate the various interacting physical processes that occur within any stoker-fired power boiler burning wood, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), coal, or other biomass fuel and operating at steady state. The processes modeled are three-dimensional turbulent gas flow, particle motion (including dispersion and re-entrainment), heterogeneous and homogeneous chemical reactions, and heat transfer. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of the model and to present an example of its use. The model can be used as a cost-effective tool to assist in the design of original and retrofit power boiler equipment and in the diagnosis and resolution of boiler operating problems. The effects of modifying operational parameters or the physical arrangement of equipment can be quickly evaluated. Simulations can be used to optimize overfire air distribution and arrangement to produce a more uniform gas flow distribution within the furnace, resulting in more complete combustion and less particulate carryover. As an example of the model’s capability, simulations were produced for a stoker-fired power boiler using wood, bark-pile reclaim, and waste-treatment sludge for fuel. The results show that changes in the air distribution and in the arrangement of operational overfire air ports can produce a significant reduction in carbon monoxide, unburned carbon loss, and particulate carryover, without increasing furnace exit gas temperature. Field modifications as a result of the modeling study have improved boiler operation and eliminated tube failures caused by flyash erosion.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 657
Author(s):  
Fuqiang Liu ◽  
Zhiyong Li ◽  
Min Fang ◽  
Hua Hou

Owing to its low flame temperature and high airflow velocity, the activated combustion high-velocity air-fuel (AC-HVAF) spraying process has garnered considerable attention in recent years. Analyzing the velocity field, temperature field, and composition of AC-HVAF spray coatings plays a vital role in improving the quality of coatings. In this study, an actual spray gun is adopted as a prototype, and the radial air inlets are introduced to improve the reaction efficiency so that the chemical reaction can be completed in the combustion chamber. Furthermore, a complete three-dimensional (3D) model is established to examine the effects of radial inlets and porous ceramic sheet on the combustion and flow fields. The hexahedral cells are used to discretize the entire model for reducing the influence of false-diffusion on the calculation results. The gas flow field is simulated by the commercial Fluent software, and the results indicate that the porous ceramic sheet effectively reduces the turbulent dissipation of the airflow with a good rectification effect (the ceramic sheet ensures a consistent airflow direction). The radial inlets and the porous ceramic sheet promote the formation of vortex in the combustion chamber, increase the residence time and stroke of the gas in the combustion chamber, and improve the probability of chemical reactions. In addition, it is observed that the stability of velocity for the airflow is strongly related to the airflow density.


Author(s):  
Irene M. Gamba

We consider steady potential hydrodynamic-Poisson systems with a dissipation term (viscosity) proportional to a small parameter v in a two- or three-dimensional bounded domain. We show here that for any smooth solution of a boundary value problem which satisfies that the speed, denoted by |∇φv|, has an upper coarse bound , uniform in the parameter v, then a sharper, correct uniform bound is obtained: the viscous speed |∇φv| is bounded pointwise, at points x0 in the interior of the flow domain, by cavitation speed (given by Bernoulli's Law at vacuum states) plus a term of that depends on . The exponent is β = 1 for the standard isentropic gas flow model and β = 1/2 for the potential hydrodynamic Poisson system. Both cases are considered to have a γ-pressure law with 1<γ<2 in two space dimensions and 1 < γ< 3/2 in three space dimensions. These systems have cavitation speeds which take not necessarily constant values. In fact, for the potential hydrodynamic-Poisson systems, cavitation speed is a function that depends on the potential flow function and also on the electric potential.In addition, we consider a two-dimensional boundary value problem which has been proved to have a smooth solution whose speed is uniformly bounded. In this case, we show that the pointwise sharper bound can be extended to the section of the boundary ∂Ω\∂3Ω, where ∂3Ω is called the outflow boundary. The exponent β varies between 1 and 1/8 depending on the location of x0 at the boundary and on the curvature of the boundary at x0. In particular, our estimates apply to classical viscous approximation to transonic flow models.


Author(s):  
Abdul Raouf Tajik ◽  
Mouna Zaidani ◽  
Tariq Shamim ◽  
Rashid K. Abu Al-Rub

Abstract In carbon anode baking furnaces, temperature and quality of carbon anodes are significantly affected by the deformation of the flue-walls, where the flue-gases flow and combustion occur. Flue-walls aging gives rise to non-homogeneous baking of the carbon anodes and results in deterioration of the anode quality, which eventually causes instabilities in aluminum reduction cells and overconsumption of anodes and energy. It is imperative to develop a fully coupled 3D multi-physics computational model which takes into account a large number of physical phenomena that play vital roles in the baking process and are affected by the flue-wall deformation mode. In the present study, the effects of flue-wall deformation modes on flue-wall cavity gas flow and anode temperature distribution are investigated. The pressure and flow distributions for different levels of flue-wall deformation are demonstrated. It is perceived that a 100 mm convex mode of flue-wall deformation leads to under-baking of anodes by almost 20 degC. For the concave mode of deformation, since the packing coke thickness reduces, overbaking of anode occurs. The methodology and results presented in the present research can be employed effectively by the aluminum industry in modifying the furnace geometrical and operational parameters to enhance baking uniformity after flue-wall is deformed.


Author(s):  
Jose Libreros ◽  
Domenico Lahaye ◽  
Maria Trujillo

Turbulent flow is the first and fundamental physical phenomena to evaluate when optimising cost and reducing emissions from an Anode Baking Furnace (ABF). Gas flow patterns, velocity field, pressure drop, shear stress, and turbulent dissipation rate variables are the main operational parameters to be optimised, considering a specific geometry. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) allows simulating physical phenomena using numerical methods with computer resources. In particular, the finite element method is one of the most used methods to solve the flow equations. This method requires a discretisation of the geometry of the ABF, called mesh. Hence, mesh is the main input to the finite element method. A suitable mesh for applying a discretisation method determines whether the problem can be simulated or not. Generating an appropriate mesh remains a challenge to perform accurate simulations. In this work, a comparison between meshes generated using two mesh generation tools is presented. Results of different study cases are included.


1983 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. BALAKRISHNAN ◽  
C. LOMBARD ◽  
W.C. DAVY

1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 1001-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Fořt ◽  
Vladimír Rogalewicz ◽  
Miroslav Richter

The study describes simulation of the motion of bubbles in gas, dispersed by a mechanical impeller in a turbulent low-viscosity liquid flow. The model employs the Monte Carlo method and it is based both on the knowledge of the mean velocity field of mixed liquid (mean motion) and of the spatial distribution of turbulence intensity ( fluctuating motion) in the investigated system - a cylindrical tank with radial baffles at the wall and with a standard (Rushton) turbine impeller in the vessel axis. Motion of the liquid is then superimposed with that of the bubbles in a still environment (ascending motion). The computation of the simulation includes determination of the spatial distribution of the gas holds-up (volumetric concentrations) in the agitated charge as well as of the total gas hold-up system depending on the impeller size and its frequency of revolutions, on the volumetric gas flow rate and the physical properties of gas and liquid. As model parameters, both liquid velocity field and normal gas bubbles distribution characteristics are considered, assuming that the bubbles in the system do not coalesce.


Author(s):  
Sunil K. Deokar ◽  
Nachiket A. Gokhale ◽  
Sachin A. Mandavgane

Abstract Biomass ashes like rice husk ash (RHA), bagasse fly ash (BFA), were used for aqueous phase removal of a pesticide, diuron. Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were successfully applied to estimate and optimize the conditions for the maximum diuron adsorption using biomass ashes. The effect of operational parameters such as initial concentration (10–30 mg/L); contact time (0.93–16.07 h) and adsorbent dosage (20–308 mg) on adsorption were studied using central composite design (CCD) matrix. Same design was also employed to gain a training set for ANN. The maximum diuron removal of 88.95 and 99.78% was obtained at initial concentration of 15 mg/L, time of 12 h, RHA dosage of 250 mg and at initial concentration of 14 mg/L, time of 13 h, BFA dosage of 60 mg respectively. Estimation of coefficient of determination (R 2) and mean errors obtained for ANN and RSM (R 2 RHA = 0.976, R 2 BFA = 0.943) proved ANN (R 2 RHA = 0.997, R 2 BFA = 0.982) fits better. By employing RSM coupled with ANN model, the qualitative and quantitative activity relationship of experimental data was visualized in three dimensional spaces. The current approach will be instrumental in providing quick preliminary estimations in process and product development.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1718
Author(s):  
Hasan Zobeyer ◽  
Abul B. M. Baki ◽  
Saika Nowshin Nowrin

The flow hydrodynamics around a single cylinder differ significantly from the flow fields around two cylinders in a tandem or side-by-side arrangement. In this study, the experimental results on the mean and turbulence characteristics of flow generated by a pair of cylinders placed in tandem in an open-channel flume are presented. An acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) was used to measure the instantaneous three-dimensional velocity components. This study investigated the effect of cylinder spacing at 3D, 6D, and 9D (center to center) distances on the mean and turbulent flow profiles and the distribution of near-bed shear stress behind the tandem cylinders in the plane of symmetry, where D is the cylinder diameter. The results revealed that the downstream cylinder influenced the flow development between cylinders (i.e., midstream) with 3D, 6D, and 9D spacing. However, the downstream cylinder controlled the flow recirculation length midstream for the 3D distance and showed zero interruption in the 6D and 9D distances. The peak of the turbulent metrics generally occurred near the end of the recirculation zone in all scenarios.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document