Prediction of radiative transfer in an aluminium-recycling furnace

Abstract

AbstractThe radiation transport in an industrial, oxygen-enriched, natural-gas-fired furnace has been modelled. In such furnaces, the presence of oxidizing species adjacent to the molten aluminium forms a layer of dross (a porous mixture of aluminium oxide, soot, and impurities from the recycled aluminium) on the surface. The impact of the dross formation on the thermal transport from the combustion products to the molten aluminium is studied. The furnace radiation transport is assumed to be one-dimensional, and the coupling of radiation with conduction through the dross layer is approximated. Measurements of primary radiating species concentrations were taken from previously published measurements, and the temperatures were estimated from the firing stoichiometry. The radiation transfer was modelled using the Spectral Line Weighted-sum-of-grey-gases method previously published for multicomponent, non-homogeneous, non-isothermal gas mixtures with soot. Although the dross layer presents a more absorbing la...