Discrete Element Method-Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of the Materials Flow in an Iron-making Blast Furnace

The cohesive zone, where the ore fed into the blast furnace softens and melts, is critical to the blast furnace performance and stability due to its influence on the gas and solid flow. Here we describe a project for the development of a process model to predict the cohesive zone properties and results of an important part of the work; the solid and gas flow models. The process model will be developed to describe a realistic solid burden flow and the formation of the cohesive zone, its shape, location, structure and permeability. This will be achieved using various simulation and computing tools: a combination of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the coupled DEM-CFD approach, together with models for the thermodynamics and reaction kinetics. The key benefits of the coupled approach lie in the coupling of the continuous phase and the discrete particles, and the possibility of introducing thermodynamics and reaction kinetics into the system in a more realistic manner. DEM and coupled DEM-CFD simulations in several geometries are presented for reduced scale blast furnace investigation on the influence of non-spherical particles and gas flow on the solid flow. A large influence of the geometry shape and boundary conditions on the solid flow was also found.