The Flow Field in a Virtual Model of a Rotary Kiln as a Function of Inlet Geometry and Momentum Flux Ratio

Abstract

The rotary kiln is the middle part of a grate-kiln iron ore pelletizing process and consists of a large, cylindrical rotating oven with a burner in one end. The flame is the heart of the process, delivering the necessary heat. The combustion process is largely controlled by the turbulent diffusion mixing between the primary fuel jet and the combustion air, called the secondary air, which is mostly induced through the kiln hood. The relatively high momentum of the secondary air implies that the resulting flow field has a significant impact on the combustion process, justifying a systematic study of the factors influencing the dynamics of the secondary air flow field, by neglecting the primary fuel jet and the combustion. The objective of this work is thus to investigate how the geometry and the momentum flux ratio of the inlets affect the flow field in the kiln. Down-scaled models of the kiln are investigated numerically. It is found that the resulting flow field is highly affected by both the geometry and momentum flux ratio of the inlet flows, including effects from pressure driven secondary flow occurring in the semicircular inlet ducts. The dynamics of the flow is further investigated using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) resulting in a deeper understanding of the forming, interaction and convection of the vortical structures.