Numerical analysis of behavior of active layer in rotary kilns by discrete element method

Abstract

The behavior of the active layer of material bed within rotary kilns plays a key role in industrial applications. To obtain its influences on industrial process, different regimes of particle motion have been simulated by discrete element method (DEM) in three dimensions under variant rotation speeds, filling degree, based on the background of induration process of iron ore pellets. The influences of the mentioned factors on the maximum thickness of the active layer and the average velocity of particles have been investigated. The average velocity of particles increases with Froude number following the power function over a wide range, and the maximum thickness rises with increasing rotation speed in a way of logarithm. The influence of the filling degree f on the maximum thickness exhibits a good linearity under two classic regimes, but the increasing of the average velocity of the active layer is limited at f=0.4. This basic research highlights the impact of the active layer within rotary kilns, and lays a good foundation for the further investigation in mixing and heat transfer within the particle bed inside rotary kilns.

Keywords

rotary kiln / particle motion / discrete element method / active layer

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