Flow of Pellet and Coke Particles in and from a Fixed Chute

Abstract

The velocity distribution of particles in the chute of a bell-less charging equipment affects the burden segregation and distribution in the blast furnace. This paper studies the angular and translational velocity distributions of particles during their flow along and from an inclined fixed chute through experiments and simulations by the discrete element method. The simulation results are validated by comparison with observed mass fractions collected in boxes at the end of the falling trajectories and by measuring the average velocity of particles along the chute. Angular and translational velocity distributions along and across the chute are reported, and the effect of the particle size distribution and particle shape are studied. The results show that the angular velocity distribution in cross sections of the chute exhibits a V-shaped appearance, that is, opposite the distribution of the translational velocity. The mass fractions of the particles in the trajectories show a similar distribution, regardless of particle size and shape. The mean angular velocity increases and the translational velocity decreases with a growing particle size distribution, while particle shape only influences the angular velocity.