Simulation of Char Dust Combustion Inside a Pyroscrubber Downstream of a Petroleum Coke Calcining Kiln

Abstract

A pyroscrubber is a furnace used in the petroleum coke calcining industry to recover energy from the carbonaceous contents, including char dust and hydrocarbon volatiles of the exhaust gas from the calcination kiln. The combusted hot gases are used to generate steam and produce electricity, so it is important to optimize the pyroscrubber performance to produce high-grade combusted gases to generate steam but with minimal emissions. A previous study employed the locally-homogeneous flow (LHF) model to study the means to improve combustion efficiency and reduce emissions. In the LHF model, the interphase exchange rates of mass, momentum and energy are assumed to be infinitely fast, so the dispersed phase (char dust) can be simplified as the gas phase, and the complex two-phase flow is then treated as a single-phase flow. In this study, LHF model is replaced with a solid particle combustion model by incorporating both finite-rate heterogeneous and homogeneous combustion processes. Results reveal that the particle combustion model generates much higher local flame temperature (2200 K) than in LHF model (1800 K). All char particles are burned before or in the high-bay area. Total energy output of the case with particle combustion model is 92% of the LHF model. Furthermore, motivated by the potential energy saving from removing the air blower power supply, this study further investigates the possible benefit of running the pyroscrubber with the ventilation doors open. Three cases with different combinations of air injections and door opening have been studied. Results show that the gas flow is stably stratified with a large amount of the entrained cold air moving at the bottom of the chamber and the hot combusted gas moving through the top. With the bottom doors completely open, sufficient air can be drawn into the pyroscrubber without the need of blowing air in, but the combustion gases will be overcooled making this practice unfavorable from the energy saving point of view.