Modelling of slurry droplet drying

Heat, mass and momentum transfer between a slurry droplet and a gas flow are investigated numerically. The developed model can be applied to assess drying and combustion properties of slurries inside spray dryers or combustors and to estimate the time needed to reach ignition of the solid component in slurry fuels. The model was applied to coal water droplet slurries the properties of which are available in the literature but can also be used for study of drying of any other slurry such as that encountered in flue gas desulfurization systems or in food industry. The parametric study revealed that the most important factor in slurry drying is the ambient temperature and that the injection velocity, the ambient pressure of the flowing medium or the particle initial temperature affect very little the drying rate. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.