A Numerical Understanding of Vertical Magnesium Thermal Reduction Processes

Abstract

A mathematical model has been developed to simulate the occurrence of heat transfer in vertical retorts. The simulations were run to determine the effect of varying parameters, such as the diameter and thickness of the compound, and slot angle, on the magnesium reduction time. The model predicted the temperature distributions, the heating curves, the recovery ratio of magnesium, and the total process time. The predictions were used to optimize the magnesium reduction process parameters, which consist of dimensions of the retort, shapes of charged materials, and reduction cycle time. The computed results show that the utilization of the optimized process parameters leads to a decrease in reduction time and energy consumption, and an increase in production capacities and recovery rates. Consequently, the magnesium thermal reduction process is significantly improved in the vertical retort.