Numerical Simulation and Optimization of Airflow Distribution in Ceramic Drying Room

Abstract

Uniform and reasonable airflow organization in the drying room is critical for effective ceramic drying. In this research, we conducted a numerical simulation of the drying room and established a mathematical model with non-uniformity coefficients of velocity and temperature of 0.841 and 0.479 × 10−2, respectively. The relative difference between the model and experimental value was within 10%. The airflow uniformity was optimized based on three parameters: number of wind cones, number of air outlets, and the air volume of the wind cones. As the number of wind cones increased, the airflow uniformity initially increased and then deteriorated. However, the airflow uniformity improved as the number of air outlets increased. Additionally, the velocity and temperature non-uniformity coefficients showed a V-shaped trend with an increase in the air volume of the wind cone. The optimal parameters were as follows: five wind cones, four air outlets, an air volume of 44000 m3/h of the wind cone, a velocity non-uniformity coefficient of 0.741, and a temperature non-uniformity coefficient of 0.37 × 10−2. After optimization, the non-uniformity coefficients of velocity and temperature decreased by 11.8 and 22.7%, respectively.