A Comparative Study of the Performance of Different Particle Models in Simulating Particle Charging and Burden Distribution in a Blast Furnace within the DEM Framework

Huaqing Ma, Xiuhao Xia, Lianyong Zhou, Chao Xu, Zihan Liu, Tao Song, Guobin Zou, Yanlei Liu, Ze Huang, Xiaoling Liao and Yongzhi Zhao ()
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Huaqing Ma: Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Xiuhao Xia: Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Lianyong Zhou: Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Chao Xu: Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Zihan Liu: Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Tao Song: State Key Laboratory of Process Automation in Mining & Metallurgy, Beijing 100160, China
Guobin Zou: State Key Laboratory of Process Automation in Mining & Metallurgy, Beijing 100160, China
Yanlei Liu: Hangzhou Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Hangzhou 310051, China
Ze Huang: Hangzhou Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Hangzhou 310051, China
Xiaoling Liao: Hangzhou Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Hangzhou 310051, China
Yongzhi Zhao: Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: There has been growing interest in applying the DEM (discrete element method) to study the charging and burden distribution in a BF (blast furnace). In practice, the real particles in a BF are non-spherical. However, spherical particles have mostly been used in previous DEM investigations. Furthermore, various particle models have been developed to describe non-spherical particles. However, the effects of using different particle models on particle behavior in a BF are still unclear. Therefore, a comparative study of how the particle shape model impacts the burden charging in a BF was conducted. Specifically, the DEM using a multi-sphere model, polyhedral model, and super-ellipsoid model was first established. Then, experiments and DEM simulations of the charging and burden distribution of non-spherical quartz sand particles in a lab-scale bell-less top BF were performed. The results indicated that the number of sub-spheres, the principle of creating the particle for multi-spheres, the number of planes for polyhedrons, and the shape indices for super-ellipsoids could all affect the accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, applying the super-ellipsoid model and multi-sphere model could achieve reasonable accuracy and efficiency, with the highest simulation accuracy for the polyhedral model but at the cost of a rather heavy computational burden.

Keywords: blast furnace; DEM; multi-sphere model; polyhedral model; super-ellipsoid model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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