Development of new simulation method for flow behavior of granular materials in a blast furnace using cellular automaton

A new simulation method that permits the large-scale of simulation of coke and granular flow in a blast furnace was developed using cellular automata. The automaton rule consists of the transition rule of constituent particles and interaction rule between particles. The interaction rule is divided into three rules; the collision rule, the static contact rule between particles, and propagation rule of impulsive force through the particle bed. The interaction rule was derived quantitatively on the basis of microscopic information on the interactive force between flowing particles under gravity obtained by DEM simulation. The evolution of granular flow with time can be simulated by defining the equivalent time to one step in automaton simulation, and the state variables in granular flow can be obtained by the proposed simulation method. The validity of the proposed powder cellular automaton method was confirmed by comparison of the simulated flow pattern of discharging flow from a hopper with experimental one. Granular flow of iron ore and coke particles in a blast furnace can be simulated with high speed by the proposed automaton method.