Numeric Simulation of Oxygen Enriched Combustion in a Frit Melting Kiln

Abstract

In this paper, a numerical study of air enriched combustion on a natural gas rotary furnace for frita melting is presented. This study was done with the aim of determining an oxygen concentration to ensure economic feasibility of the process without affecting quality requirements. The simulations were conducted using the commercial software ANSYS FLUENT as a design tool to predict the behavior of the thermal system and to establish operations conditions with different oxygen enrichment levels. Finite Rate / Eddy Dissipation model was used for combustion simulation, while k - ε Realizable and Discrete Ordinates models were utilized for turbulence and radiation simulation, respectively. It was found that an enrichment level close to 31% of oxygen in the air allows for reaching temperatures for frita melting larger than 1700 K. In this way, current consumption of high purity oxygen can be diminished without affecting the production levels and the quality of the product.