Heat and Mass Transfer Simulation in the Pyrolysis Zone

Nowadays, about 200 min m(3) of timber is harvested in our country. At all stages of the process (from harvesting to raw wood processing) a large amount of waste that does not find any usage and has negative influence on the environment is generated at the same time. Pyrolysis is one of the feasible directions of such waste processing. The yield of pyrolysis products depends on the external conditions and the raw materials properties. The article describes a plant targeting for production of activated carbon from wood chips. The plant is designed as a mine. It has a pyrolysis zone operating in periodic mode. Heating elements are located in the lower part of the pyrolysis zone. They heat industrial chips prior to intense exothermic reactions. Thermal energy is transferred to the heating elements by a heat pipe placed in charcoal after the activation stage, which has temperature about 800 degrees C. Valuable products are obtained from wood waste with the use of this plant, which are in a great demand in the industry. The environmental problem of many wood processing enterprises is being solved; disposal of waste dumps. Mathematical model of the process has been developed based on the analysis of the physical phenomenon and pyrolysis process formalization in the activated carbon plant. The model allows calculating the total time spent on wood waste processing and the main design parameters of the plant.