A 2-Dim CFD model development for petroleum coke calcination process in rotary kiln

Eghbal Ahmadi, Mohammad Hosein; Tayyebi, Shokoufe

A 2-Dim CFD model development for petroleum coke calcination process in rotary kiln

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

M. H. Eghbal Ahmadi ¹

S. Tayyebi ²

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Tafresh University, Tafresh 39518 79611, Iran.

² Petroleum Refining Technology Development Division, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Subject

Petroleum coke calcination is a chemical process during which the petroleum coke loses moisture and volatile combustible materials due to the increase in temperature and ultimately improves the physical properties of the calcined coke. In this study, A 2-Dim model was developed for the petroleum coke calcination process via rotary kiln using the CFD approach. Understanding the temperature, concentration, and fluid movement behavior are the main goals for developing the simulation model, by using which the rotary kiln control and design can be performed.

Methodology

Comsol Multiphysics was applied to develop the simulation model. Petroleum coke rotary kiln calcination consists of two solid and gas phases, which cross each other counter-currently. All governing physics in the system, including chemical reactions, heat transfer via conduction, convection, and radiation, intra-phase and interphase mass transfer, evaporation or evolution of components from the solid phase into the gas phase, fluid turbulency and all complex relationships were considered. Using the finite element method, the governing equations of the model were solved, and consequently, the variation of temperature, components concentration, and fluid velocity was calculated.

The main results

It is concluded that tertiary air injection significantly affects the temperature profile and combustion reactions in the bed (About 100 degrees increase in temperature). In addition, the maximum temperature of 1910 °C has been achieved in the kiln. Concentration changes of components in the gas phase were also seen mainly in the bed entrance and in the areas near the tertiary air injection. Comparing the results with similar works showed the high accuracy of the developed model

Keywords

Calcination

Petroleum Coke

Rotary kiln. Modeling

CFD

Subjects

mass-transport

1) Edwards, L. The history and future challenges of calcined petroleum coke production and use in aluminum smelting. Jom, 67, 308-321, 2015.
2) Boateng, A. A. Rotary kilns: transport phenomena and transport processes. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2015.
3) Lyons, J. W., Min, H. S., Parisot, P. E., & Paul, J. F. Experimentation with a wet-process rotary cement kiln via the analog computer. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Process Design and Development, 1, 29-33, 1962.
4) Li, K. W. Entrainment in rotary cylinders. AIChE Journal, 20, 1031-1034, 1974.
5) Essenhigh, R. H., Froberg, R., & Howard, J. B. Combustion behavior of small particles. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 57, 32-43, 1965.
6) Modak, A. T. Radiation from products of combustion. Fire Safety Journal, 1, 339-361, 1979.
7) Tscheng, S. H., & Watkinson, A. P. Convective heat transfer in a rotary kiln. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 57, 433-443, 1979.
8) Gorog, J. P., Adams, T. N., & Brimacombe, J. K. Regenerative heat transfer in rotary kilns. Metallurgical transactions B, 13, 153-163, 1982.
9) Bui, R. T., Tarasiewicz, S., & Charette, A. A computer model for the cement kiln. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 4, 424-430, 1982.
10) Perron, J., & Bui, R. T. Rotary cylinders: solid transport prediction by dimensional and rheological analysis. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 68, 61-68, 1990.
11) Perron, J., Nguyen, H. T., & Bui, R. T. Modélisation d'un four de calcination du coke de pétrole: II. Simulation du procédé. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 70, 1120-1131, 1992.
12) Bui, R. T., Perron, J., & Read, M. Model-based optimization of the operation of the coke calcining kiln. Carbon, 31, 1139-1147, 1993.
13) Martins, M. A., Oliveira, L. S., & Franca, A. S. Modeling and simulation of petroleum coke calcination in rotary kilns. Fuel, 80, 1611-1622, 2001.
14) Csernyei, C., & Straatman, A. G. Numerical modeling of a rotary cement kiln with improvements to shell cooling. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 102, 610-621, 2016.
15) Mujumdar, K. S., & Ranade, V. V. Simulation of rotary cement kilns using a one-dimensional model. Chemical engineering research and design, 84, 165-177, 2006.
16) Elkanzi, E. M., Marhoon, F. S., & Jasim, M. J. Rate-based Simulation of Coke Calcination in Rotary Kilns. Simultech, 5-10, 2012.
17) Elkanzi, E. M., Marhoon, F. S., & Jasim, M. J. Kinetic Analysis of the Coke Calcination Processes in Rotary Kilns. In Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications, Springer, Cham, 45-54, 2014.
18) Bui, R. T., Simard, G., Charette, A., Kocaefe, Y., & Perron, J. Mathematical modeling of the rotary coke calcining kiln. The Canadian journal of chemical engineering, 73, 534-545, 1995.
19) Atmaca, A., & Yumrutaş, R. Analysis of the parameters affecting energy consumption of a rotary kiln in cement industry. Applied Thermal Engineering, 66, 435-444, 2014.
20) Zhang, Z., & Wang, T. Simulation of Combustion and Thermal-Flow Inside a Petroleum Coke Rotary Calcining Kiln: Part 2—Analysis of Effects of Tertiary Airflow and Rotation. In ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, 43765, 211-223, 2009.
21) Zhang, Z., & Wang, T. Simulation of Combustion and Thermal-Flow Inside a Petroleum Coke Rotary Calcining Kiln—Part I: Process Review and Modeling, 2010.
22) Ryan, J., Bussmann, M., & DeMartini, N. CFD Modelling of Calcination in a Rotary Lime Kiln. Processes, 10, 1516. 2022.
23) Versteeg, H. K., & Malalasekera, W. An introduction to computational fluid dynamics: the finite volume method. Pearson education, 2007.