Coal Combustion Simulation in FLUENT

Tutorial 12.
Using the Non-Premixed

Combustion Model
Introduction: A pulverized coal combustion simulation involves modeling a continuous gas phase flow field and its interaction with a discrete phase of coal particles. The coal particles, traveling through
the gas, will devolatilize and undergo char combustion, creating a
source of fuel for reaction in the gas phase. Reaction can be modeled using either the species transport model or the non-premixed
combustion model. In this tutorial you will model a simplified coal
combustion furnace using the non-premixed combustion model for
the reaction chemistry.
In this tutorial you will learn how to:
Prepare a PDF table for a pulverized coal fuel using the
prePDF preprocessor
Define FLUENT inputs for non-premixed combustion chemistry modeling
Define a discrete second phase of coal particles
Solve a simulation involving reacting discrete phase coal particles
The non-premixed combustion model uses a modeling approach
that solves transport equations for one or two conserved scalars,
the mixture fractions. Multiple chemical species, including radicals
and intermediate species, may be included in the problem definition and their concentrations will be derived from the predicted
mixture fraction distribution. Property data for the species are
accessed through a chemical database and turbulence-chemistry
interaction is modeled using a Beta or double-delta probability
density function (PDF). See the Users Guide for more detail on
the non-premixed combustion modeling approach.
c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

12-1
Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model
Prerequisites: This tutorial assumes that you are familiar with the
menu structure in FLUENT, and that you have solved Tutorial 1
or its equivalent. Some steps in the setup and solution procedure
will not be shown explicitly.
Problem Description: The coal combustion system considered in this
tutorial is a simple 10 m by 1 m two-dimensional duct depicted in
Figure 12.1. Only half of the domain width is modeled because
of symmetry. The inlet of the 2D duct is split into two streams.
A high-speed stream near the center of the duct enters at 50 m/s
and spans 0.125 m. The other stream enters at 15 m/s and spans
0.375 m. Both streams are air at 1500 K. Coal particles enter the
furnace near the center of the high-speed stream with a mass flow
rate of 0.1 kg/s (total flow rate in the furnace is 0.2 kg/s). The duct
wall has a constant temperature of 1200 K. The Reynolds number
based on the inlet dimension and the average inlet velocity is about
100,000. Thus, the flow is turbulent.
Details regarding the coal composition and size distribution are
included in Step 5: Models: Continuous (Gas) Phase and Step 8:
Materials: Discrete Phase.
12-2

T = 1200 K
w
Air: 15 m/s, 1500 K
0.5 m
Coal Injection: 0.1 kg/s
0.125 m
Air: 50 m/s, 1500 K

Symmetry
Plane
10 m
Figure 12.1: 2D Furnace with Pulverized Coal Combustion
Preparation for prePDF

1. Start prePDF.
When you use the non-premixed combustion model, you prepare
a PDF file with the preprocessor, prePDF. The PDF file contains
information that relates species concentrations and temperatures to
the mixture fraction values, and is used by FLUENT to obtain these
scalars during the solution procedure.

12-3
Step 1: Define the Preliminary Adiabatic System

in prePDF
1. Define the prePDF model type.
You can define either a single fuel stream, or a fuel stream plus a
secondary stream. Enabling a secondary stream allows you to keep
track of two mixture fractions. For coal combustion, this would
allow you to track volatile matter (the secondary stream) separately
from the char (fuel stream). In this tutorial, we will not follow
this approach. Instead, we will model coal using a single mixture
fraction.
Setup Case...
(a) Under Heat transfer options, keep the default setting of Adiabatic.
The coal combustor studied in this tutorial is a non-adiabatic
system, with heat transfer at the combustor wall and heat
12-4

transfer to the coal particles from the gas. Therefore, a nonadiabatic combustion system must be considered in prePDF.
Because non-adiabatic calculations are more time-consuming
than those for adiabatic systems, you will start the prePDF
setup by considering the results of an adiabatic system. By
computing the PDF/equilibrium chemistry results for the adiabatic system, you will determine appropriate system parameters that will make the non-adiabatic calculation more efficient. Specifically, the adiabatic calculation will provide information on the peak (adiabatic) flame temperature, the stoichiometric mixture fraction, and the importance of individual
components to the chemical system. This process of beginning with an adiabatic system calculation should be followed
in all PDF calculations that ultimately require a non-adiabatic
model.
(b) Under Chemistry models, keep the default setting of Equilibrium Chemistry.
In most PDF-based simulations, the Equilibrium Chemistry option is recommended. The Stoichiometric Reaction (mixed is
burned) option requires less computation but is generally less
accurate. The Laminar Flamelets option offers the ability to
include aerodynamic strain induced non-equilibrium effects,
such as super-equilibrium radical concentration and
sub-equilibrium temperatures. This can be important for NOx
prediction, but is excluded here.
(c) Keep the default setting of the PDF models.
The Beta PDF integration is always recommended because it
is more accurate than the Delta PDF approach.
(d) Under Empirically Defined Streams, enable the Fuel stream option.
This will allow you to define the fuel stream using the empirical input option. The empirical input option allows you to
define the composition in terms of atom fractions of H, C, N,
and O, along with the lower heating value and heat capacity

12-5
of the fuel. This is a useful option when the ultimate analysis

and heating value of the coal are known.
(e) Click Apply and close the panel.
12-6

2. Define the chemical species in the system.

The choice of which species to include depends on the fuel type and
combustion system. Guidelines on this selection are provided in the
FLUENT Users Guide. Here, you will assume that the equilibrium
system consists of 13 species: C, C(s), CH4 , CO, CO2 , H, H2 ,
H2 O, N, N2 , O, O2 , and OH.
C, H, O, and N are included because the fuel stream will be defined in terms of these atom fractions, using the empirical input
method.
!
You should include both C and C(S) in the system when the
empirical input option is used.
Setup Species Define...
(a) Set the Maximum # of Species to 13. Use the up and down
arrows to set the maximum number of species, or enter the
number in the text field followed by <ENTER>.
(b) Select the top species in the Defined Species list (initially labeled UNDEFINED).

12-7
(c) In the Database Species drop-down list, use the slider bar to
scroll the list, and select C. The Defined Species list now shows
C as the first entry.
(d) Select the next species in the Defined Species list (or increment
the Species # counter to 2).
(e) In the Database Species drop-down list, use the slider bar to
scroll the list, and select the next species (C(S)).
(f) Repeat steps (d) and (e) until all 13 species are defined.
(g) Click Apply and then close the panel.
Note: In other combustion systems, you might want to include additional chemical species, but you should not add slow chemical species like NOx .
3. Determine the fuel composition inputs.
The fuel considered here is known, from proximate analysis, to
consist of 28% volatiles, 64% char, and 8% ash. You will use this
information, along with the ultimate analysis given below, to define
the coal composition in prePDF. The fuel stream composition (char
and volatiles) is derived as follows.
Begin by converting the proximate data to a dry-ash-free basis:
Proximate Analysis
Volatiles
Char (C(s))
Ash
Wt %
(dry)
28
64
8
Wt %
(DAF)
30.4
69.6
-
The ultimate analysis, for the dry-ash-free coal, is known to be:

Element
C
H
O
N
S
12-8
Wt % (DAF)
89.3
5.0
3.4
1.5
0.8

For modeling simplicity, the sulfur content of the coal can be combined into the nitrogen mass fraction, to yield:
Element
C
H
O
N
S
Wt % (DAF)
89.3
5.0
3.4
2.3
-
We can combine the proximate and ultimate analysis data to yield

the following elemental composition of the volatile stream:
Element
C
H
O
N
Total
Wt %
89.3
5.0
3.4
2.3
Moles
7.44
5
0.21
0.16
12.81
Mole Fraction
0.581
0.390
0.016
0.013
You will enter the mole fractions in the final column, above, in
order to define the fuel composition. prePDF will use this information, along with the coal heating value, to define the species present
in the fuel.
The lower heating value of coal (DAF) is known to be:
LCVcoal,DAF = 35.3 MJ/kg
The specific heat and density of the coal are known to be 1000 J/kgK and 1 kg/m3 respectively.

12-9
4. Enter the fuel and oxidizer compositions.

Setup Species Composition...
(a) Enable the input of the oxidizer stream composition.
The oxidizer (air) consists of 21% O2 and 79% N2 by volume.
i. Under Stream, select Oxidiser.

ii. Under Specify Composition In, retain the default selection
of Mole Fractions.
iii. Select O2 in the Defined Species list and enter 0.21 in the
Species Fraction field.
12-10

iv. Select N2 in the Defined Species list and enter 0.79 in the
Species Fraction field.
(b) Enable the input of the fuel stream composition.
Note: Because the empirical input option is enabled for the
fuel stream, you will be prompted to enter atom mole fractions for C, H, O, and N, along with the heating value and
heat capacity of the coal.
i. Under Stream, select Fuel.

ii. Under Specify Composition In, retain the default selection
of Mole Fractions.

12-11
iii. Select C in the Defined Species list and enter 0.581 in the
Atom Fraction field.
iv. Select H in the Defined Species list and enter 0.390 in the
v. Select N in the Defined Species list and enter 0.016 in the
vi. Select O in the Defined Species list and enter 0.013 in the
vii. Enter 3.53e7 J/kg for the Lower Caloric Value and 1000
J/kg-K for the Specific Heat.
viii. Click Apply and close the panel.
5. Define the density of the solid carbon.
Here, a value of 1300 kg/m3 is assumed.
Setup Species Density...
(a) Select C(S) in the Defined Species list.

(b) Set the Density to 1300.
(c) Click Apply and close the panel.
12-12

Note: prePDF will use this information during computation of the

mixture density for the fuel. You should enter the density of
solid char. This input will differ from the coal density defined in FLUENT, which is the apparent density of the ashcontaining coal particles.
6. Define the system operating conditions.
The system pressure and inlet stream temperatures are required for
the equilibrium chemistry calculation. The fuel stream inlet temperature for coal combustion should be the temperature at the onset of
devolatilization. The oxidizer inlet temperature should correspond
to the air inlet temperature. In this tutorial, the coal devolatilization temperature will be set to 400 K and the air inlet temperature
is 1500 K. The system pressure is one atmosphere.
Setup Operating Conditions...

12-13
(a) Enter 400 K and 1500 K as the Fuel and Oxidiser inlet temperatures.
(b) Click Apply and close the panel.
12-14

Step 2: Compute and Review the Adiabatic System prePDF Look-Up Tables
1. Accept the default PDF solution parameters.
Setup Solution Parameters...
The look-up table calculation performed by prePDF will result in a

table of values for species mole fractions and temperature at a set
of discrete mixture fraction values. You control the number and
distribution of these discrete points using the Solution Parameters
panel. You can also set the Fuel Rich Flamability Limit in this panel.
The Fuel Rich Flamability Limit allows you to perform a partial
equilibrium calculation, suspending equilibrium calculations when
the mixture fraction exceeds the specified rich limit. This increases
the efficiency of the PDF calculation, allowing you to bypass the
complex equilibrium calculations in the fuel-rich region, and is more
physically realistic than the assumption of full equilibrium. For
empirically defined streams, the rich limit is always 1.0 and cannot
be altered.

12-15
(a) Keep the default setting for Automatic Distribution.

This feature allows you to improve the prePDF prediction by
optimizing the distribution of the discrete mixture fraction values, clustering them around the peak temperature value. If you
choose not to use the Automatic Distribution, you should set
the distribution center point on the rich side of the stoichiometric scale mixture fraction.
2. Save your inputs (coal ad.inp).
File Write Input...
3. Calculate the adiabatic system chemistry.
Calculate PDF Table
During the calculation, prePDF first retrieves thermodynamic data
from the database. Then the time-averaged values of temperature,
composition, and density at the discrete mixture-fraction/mixturefraction-variance points (21 points as defined in the Solution Parameters panel) are calculated. The result will be a set of tables
containing time-averaged values of species mole fractions, density,
and temperature at each discrete value of these two parameters.
prePDF reports the progress of the look-up table construction in the
console window.
When the calculations are complete, prePDF will warn you that
equilibrium calculations have been performed for the fuel inlet. You
can simply acknowledge this warning, as the equilibrium conditions
predicted do not impact your modeling inputs unless the fuel stream
is representing a gaseous fuel inlet.
12-16

4. Save the adiabatic PDF file (coal ad.pdf).

File Write PDF...
(a) Under File Type, select Write Formatted File.
When you write a PDF file, prePDF will save a binary file
by default. If you are planning to use the PDF file on the
same machine, you can save the file using the default Write
Binary File option. However, if you are planning to use the
PDF file on a different machine, you should save an ASCII
(formatted) file from prePDF. Note that ASCII files take up
more disk space than binary files.
(b) Under Solver, select FLUENT 6.
(c) Enter coal ad.pdf as the Pdf File name.
(d) Click OK to write the file.
5. Examine the temperature/mixture-fraction relationship in the adiabatic system.
The results of the adiabatic calculation provide insight into the system description that will be used for the non-adiabatic calculation.
Display PDF Table...
(a) Select TEMPERATURE from the Plot Variable list and then
click Display to generate the table (Figure 12.2).

12-17
The temperature display shows how the time-averaged system temperature varies with the mean mixture fraction and
its variance.
The temperature/mixture-fraction relationship shows that the
peak flame temperature is about 2750 K at fuel stoichiometric mixture fractions of approximately 0.1. The relatively high
flame temperature is a result of the high pre-heat in the combustion air.
Note: The adiabatic flame temperature predicted by the adiabatic system calculation will be used to select the maximum temperature in the non-adiabatic system calculation.
2.8E+03
2.4E+03
T
E
M
P
E
R
A
T
U
R
E
2.0E+03
2.50E-01
2.00E-01
1.6E+03
1.50E-01
SCALED-F-VARIANCE
1.00E-01
1.2E+03
5.00E-02
7.6E+02
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
2.00E-01
4.00E-01
6.00E-01
8.00E-01
1.00E+00
F-MEAN
PDF TABLE - CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM

MEAN FLAME TEMPERATURE
prePDF V4.00
Fluent Inc.
Figure 12.2: Time-Averaged Temperature: Adiabatic prePDF Calculation
12-18

Step 3: Create and Compute the Non-Adiabatic

prePDF System
Creating a non-adiabatic PDF system description requires that you do
the following:
Redefine the system as non-adiabatic.
Set the peak system temperature (based on the adiabatic result of
2750 K).
After these modifications, you will recompute the system chemistry and
save a non-adiabatic PDF file for use in FLUENT.

12-19
1. Define the prePDF model type as non-adiabatic.

Setup Case...
(a) Select Non-Adiabatic under Heat transfer options and click Apply.
12-20

2. Set the system temperature limits.

Minimum and maximum temperatures in the system are required
when the PDF calculation is non-adiabatic.
The minimum temperature should be a few degrees lower than the
lowest boundary condition temperature (e.g., the inlet temperature
or wall temperature). In coal combustion systems, the minimum
system temperature should also be set below the temperature at
which the volatiles begin to evolve from the coal. Here, the vaporization temperature at which devolatilization begins will be set
to 400 K. Thus, the minimum system temperature is set to 298 K
(the default).
The maximum temperature should be at least 100 K higher than
the peak flame temperature found in the preliminary adiabatic calculation. Here, the maximum temperature will be taken as 3000 K,
well above the peak adiabatic system temperature of 2750 K.
Setup Operating Conditions...

12-21
(a) Enter 298 for Min. Temperature and 3000 for Max. Temperature.
3. Save the non-adiabatic system inputs (coal.inp).
File Write Input...
4. Compute the non-adiabatic PDF look-up tables.
Calculate PDF Table
The non-adiabatic prePDF calculation requires much more computation than the adiabatic calculation. prePDF begins by accessing
the thermodynamic data from the database. Next, the enthalpy
12-22

field is initialized and the enthalpy grid adjusted to account for

inlet conditions and solution parameters. Time-averaged values
of temperature, composition, and density at the discrete mixturefraction/mixture-fraction-variance/enthalpy points (21 points, as
defined in the Solution Parameters panel) are then calculated. The
result will be a set of tables containing time-averaged values of
species mole fractions, density, and temperature at each discrete
value of these three parameters.
When the calculations are complete, prePDF will warn you that
equilibrium calculations have been performed for the fuel inlet. As
noted above, you can simply acknowledge this warning, which has
no impact on your inputs when you are modeling coal or liquid
fuels.
5. Write the PDF output file (coal.pdf).

File Write PDF...
(a) Under File Type, select Write Formatted File.
(b) Select FLUENT 6 under Solver.
(c) Enter coal.pdf as the Pdf File name.
(d) Click OK to write the file.

12-23
6. Review one slice of the 3D look-up table prepared by prePDF.

Display Nonadiabatic Table...
(a) Select TEMPERATURE from the Plot Variable drop-down list

and click Display (Figure 12.3).
Note: Review of the 3D look-up tables is accomplished on a sliceby-slice basis. By default, the slice selected is that corresponding to the adiabatic enthalpy values. This display should look
very similar to the look-up table created during the adiabatic
calculation. You can select other slices of constant enthalpy
for display, as well.
12-24

2.8E+03
2.4E+03
T
E
M
P
E
R
A
T
U
R
E
2.0E+03
2.50E-01
2.00E-01
1.6E+03
1.50E-01
SCALED-F-VARIANCE
1.00E-01
1.2E+03
5.00E-02
7.6E+02
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
2.00E-01
4.00E-01
6.00E-01
8.00E-01
1.00E+00
F-MEAN
MEAN ENTHALPY SLICE NUMBER 23
prePDF V4.00
MEAN FLAME TEMPERATURE FROM 3D-PDF-TABLE
Fluent Inc.
Figure 12.3: Non-Adiabatic Temperature Look-Up Table on the Slice

Corresponding to Adiabatic Enthalpy

12-25
7. Examine the species/mixture-fraction relationship in the non-adiabatic

system.
Display Nonadiabatic Table...
(a) Select SPECIES from the Plot Variable drop-down list.

The Species Selection panel will open automatically.
(b) In the Species Selection panel, select C(S) in the Species dropdown list and click OK.
(c) Click Display in the Nonadiabatic-Table panel to generate the

table (Figure 12.4).
8. Follow the steps above to plot the instantaneous mole fractions for
CO (Figure 12.5).
12-26

7.6E-01
6.1E-01
M
O
L
E
F
R
A
C
T
I
O
N
4.6E-01
2.50E-01
2.00E-01
3.1E-01
1.50E-01
SCALED-F-VARIANCE
1.00E-01
1.5E-01
5.00E-02
0.0E+00
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
2.00E-01
4.00E-01
6.00E-01
8.00E-01
1.00E+00
F-MEAN

SPECIES C(S)
prePDF V4.00
FROM 3D-PDF-TABLE
Fluent Inc.
Figure 12.4: Time-Averaged C(S) Mole Fractions:

prePDF Calculation
Non-Adiabatic
3.1E-01
2.4E-01
M
O
L
E
F
R
A
C
T
I
O
N
1.8E-01
2.50E-01
2.00E-01
1.2E-01
1.50E-01
SCALED-F-VARIANCE
1.00E-01
6.1E-02
5.00E-02
0.0E+00
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
2.00E-01
4.00E-01
6.00E-01
8.00E-01
1.00E+00
F-MEAN

SPECIES CO
FROM 3D-PDF-TABLE
prePDF V4.00
Fluent Inc.
Figure 12.5: Time-Averaged CO Mole Fractions: Non-Adiabatic prePDF

Calculation

12-27
9. Exit from prePDF.

File Exit
Preparation for FLUENT Calculation

With the PDF file creation completed, you are ready to use the nonpremixed combustion model in FLUENT to predict the combusting flow
in the coal furnace.
1. Copy the file coal/coal.msh from the FLUENT documentation CD
to your working directory (as described in Tutorial 1).
The mesh file coal.msh is a quadrilateral mesh describing the system geometry shown in Figure 12.1.
2. Start the 2D version of FLUENT.
12-28

Step 4: Grid
1. Read the 2D mesh file, coal.msh.
File Read Case...
The FLUENT console window reports that the mesh contains 1357
quadrilateral cells.
2. Check the grid.
Grid Check
The grid check should not report any errors or negative volumes.
3. Display the grid (Figure 12.6).
Display Grid...
Due to the grid resolution and the size of the domain, you may find
it more useful to display just the outline, or to zoom in on various
portions of the grid display.
Note: You can use the mouse probe button (right button, by default) to find out the boundary zone labels. As annotated in
Figure 12.7, the upstream boundary contains two velocity inlets (for the low-speed and high-speed air streams), the downstream boundary is a pressure outlet, the top boundary is a
wall, and the bottom boundary is a symmetry plane.

12-29
Grid
Aug 28, 2001

FLUENT 6.0 (2d, segregated, lam)
Figure 12.6: 2D Coal Furnace Mesh Outline Display
wall-7
velocity-inlet-2
velocity-inlet-8
symmetry-5
Grid
Aug 28, 2001

FLUENT 6.0 (2d, segregated, lam)
Figure 12.7: Mesh Display with Annotated Boundary Types
12-30

Step 5: Models: Continuous (Gas) Phase

1. Accept the default segregated solver.
The non-premixed combustion model is available only with the segregated solver.
Define Models Solver...

12-31
2. Turn on the standard k- turbulence model.

Define Models Viscous...
Note: As indicated in the problem description, the Reynolds number of the flow is about 105 . Thus, the flow is turbulent and
the high-Re k- model is suitable.
12-32

3. Turn on the non-premixed combustion model.

Define Models Species...
(a) Select Non-Premixed Combustion under Model.
The panel will expand to show the related inputs.
When you click OK, FLUENT will open the Select File dialog
box, requesting input of the PDF file to be used in the simulation.
(b) In the Select File dialog box, select and read the non-adiabatic
PDF file (coal.pdf).
FLUENT reports in the console window that it is reading the
nonadiabatic PDF file containing 13 species. It also reports
that a new material, called pdf-mixture, has been created. This
mixture contains the 13 species that you defined in prePDF and
their thermodynamic properties.
FLUENT will present an Information dialog box telling you that
available material properties have changed. You will be setting
properties later, so you can simply click OK in the dialog box
to acknowledge this information.
Note: FLUENT will automatically activate solution of the energy equation when it reads the non-adiabatic PDF file, so
you do not need to visit the Energy panel to enable heat
transfer.

12-33
4. Turn on radiation by selecting the P1 radiation model.

Define Models Radiation...
The P-1 model is one of the radiation models that can account for
the exchange of radiation between gas and particulates.
After you click OK, FLUENT will present an Information dialog box
telling you that available material properties have changed. You
will be setting properties later, so you can simply click OK in the
dialog box to acknowledge this information.
12-34

Step 6: Models: Discrete Phase

The flow of pulverized coal particles will be modeled by FLUENT using the
discrete phase model. This model predicts the trajectories of individual
coal particles, each representing a continuous stream (or mass flow) of
coal. Heat, momentum, and mass transfer between the coal and the gas
will be included by alternately computing the discrete phase trajectories
and the gas phase continuum equations.
1. Enable the discrete phase coupling to the continuous phase flow
prediction.
Define Models Discrete Phase...
(a) Under Interaction, turn on the Interaction with Continuous Phase
option.
This option enables coupling, in which the discrete phase trajectories (along with heat and mass transfer to the particles)
are allowed to impact the gas phase equations. If you leave
this option turned off, you can track particles but they will
have no impact on the continuous phase flow.

12-35
(b) Set the coupling parameter, the Number of Continuous Phase

Iterations per DPM Iteration, to 20.
You should use higher values of this parameter in problems
that include a high particle mass loading or a larger grid size.
Less frequent trajectory updates can be beneficial in such problems, in order to converge the gas phase equations more com12-36

pletely prior to repeating the trajectory calculation.

(c) Under Tracking Parameters, set the Max. Number of Steps to
10000.
The limit on the number of trajectory time steps is used to
abort trajectories of particles that are trapped in the domain
(e.g., in a recirculation).
(d) Retain the default Length Scale of 0.01 m.
The Length Scale controls the time step size used for integration of the discrete phase trajectories. The value of 0.01 m
used here implies that roughly 1000 time steps will be used to
compute trajectories along the 10 m length of the domain.
(e) Under Options, turn on Particle Radiation Interaction.

12-37
2. Create the discrete phase coal injections.

The flow of the pulverized coal is defined by the initial conditions
that describe the coal as it enters the gas. FLUENT will use these
initial conditions as the starting point for its time integration of
the particle equations of motion (the trajectory calculations).
Here, the total mass flow rate of coal (in the half-width of the duct)
is 0.1 kg/s (per unit meter depth). The particles will be assumed to
obey a Rosin-Rammler size distribution between 70 and 200 micron
diameter. Other initial conditions (velocity, temperature, position)
are detailed below along with the appropriate input procedures.
Define Injections...
(a) Click the Create button in the Injections panel.

This will open the Set Injection Properties panel where you will
define the initial conditions defining the flow of coal particles.
12-38

In the Set Injection Properties panel you will define the initial
conditions of the flow of coal particles. The particle stream
will be defined as a group of 10 distinct initial conditions,
all identical except for diameter, which will obey the RosinRammler size distribution law.
(b) Select group in the Injection Type drop-down list.

12-39
(c) Set the Number of Particle Streams to 10.

These inputs tell FLUENT to represent the range of specified
initial conditions by 10 discrete particle streams, each with its
own set of discrete initial conditions. Here, this will result in
10 discrete particle diameters, as the diameter will be varied
within the injection group.
(d) Select Combusting under Particle Type.
By selecting Combusting you are activating the submodels for
coal devolatilization and char burnout. Similarly, selecting
Droplet would enable the submodels for droplet evaporation
and boiling.
(e) Select coal-mv in the Material drop-down list.
The Material list contains the combusting particle materials
in the FLUENT database. You can select an appropriate coal
from this list and then review or modify its properties in the
Materials panel (see Step 8: Materials: Discrete Phase).
(f) Select rosin-rammler in the Diameter Distribution drop-down
list.
The coal particles have a nonuniform size distribution with
diameters ranging from 70 m to 200 m. The size distribution fits the Rosin-Rammler equation, with a mean diameter
of 134 m and a spread parameter of 4.52.
(g) Select o2 (the default) in the Oxidizing Species drop-down list.
12-40

(h) Specify the range of initial conditions under Point Properties

starting with the following inputs for First Point:
X-Position: 0.001 m
Y-Position: 0.03124 m
X-Velocity: 10 m/s
Y-Velocity: 5 m/s
Temperature = 300 K
Total Flow Rate: 0.1 kg/s
Min. Diameter: 70e-6 m
Max. Diameter: 200e-6 m
Mean Diameter: 134e-6 m
Spread Parameter: 4.52
(i) Under Last Point, specify identical inputs for position, velocity, and temperature.
(j) Define the turbulent dispersion.
i. Click on Turbulent Dispersion.
The panel will change to show the related inputs.

12-41
ii. Under Stochastic Tracking, turn on Stochastic Model.

Stochastic tracks model the effect of turbulence in the gas
phase on the particle trajectories. Including stochastic
tracking is important in coal combustion simulations, to
simulate realistic particle dispersion.
iii. Set the Number of Tries to 10.
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Note: The new injection (named injection-0, by default) now

appears in the Injections panel.
This panel can be used to copy and delete injection definitions. You can also select an existing injection and list the
initial conditions of particle streams defined by that injection
in the console window. The listing for the injection-0 group
will show 10 particle streams, each with a unique diameter
between the specified minimum and maximum value, obtained
from the Rosin-Rammler distribution, and a unique mass flow
rate.

12-43
Step 7: Materials: Continuous Phase

All thermodynamic data including density, specific heat, and formation
enthalpies are extracted from the prePDF chemical database when the
non-premixed combustion model is used. These properties are transferred
to FLUENT as the pdf-mixture material, for which only transport properties, such as viscosity and thermal conductivity, need to be defined.
Define Materials...
12-44

1. Set Thermal Conductivity to 0.025 (constant).

2. Set Viscosity to 2e-5 (constant).
3. Select wsggm-cell-based in the drop-down list for the Absorption
Coefficient.
This specifies a composition-dependent absorption coefficient, using
the weighted-sum-of-gray-gases model. See the Users Guide for
details.
4. Click the Change/Create button.
Note: You can click on the View... button next to Mixture Species to
view the species included in the pdf-mixture material. These are the
species included during the system chemistry setup in prePDF. Note
that the Density and Cp laws cannot be altered: these properties are
stored in the non-premixed combustion look-up tables. prePDF uses
the gas law to compute the mixture density and a mass-weighted
mixing law to compute the mixture cp . Although it is possible for
you to alter the properties of the individual species, you should not
do so when the non-premixed combustion model is used. This would
create an inconsistency with the look-up table created in prePDF.

12-45
Step 8: Materials: Discrete Phase

Define Materials...
1. Select combusting-particle from the Material Type list.

The combusting-particle material type appears because you have activated combusting particles using the Set Injection Properties panel.
Other discrete phase material types (droplets, inert particles) will
appear in this list if you have created injections of those types.
2. Keep the current selection (coal-mv) in the Combusting Particle Materials list.
12-46

This is the combusting particle material type that you selected from
the list of database options in the Set Injection Properties panel.
Additional combusting particle materials can be copied from the
property database, if desired. You can click the Database... button
in order to view the combusting-particle materials that are available.
Here, you will simply modify the property settings for the selected
material, coal-mv.
3. Set the following constant property values for the coal-mv material:
Density
Cp
Thermal Conductivity
Latent Heat
Vaporization Temperature
Volatile Component Fraction (%)
Binary Diffusivity
Particle Emissivity
Particle Scattering Factor
Swelling Coefficient
Burnout Stoichiometric Ratio
Combustible Fraction (%)
1300 kg/m3
1000 J/kg-K
0.0454 w/m-k
0
400 K
28
5e-4 m2/s
0.9
0.6
2
2.67
64
FLUENT uses these inputs as follows:

Density impacts the particle inertia and body forces (when the
gravitational acceleration is non-zero).
Cp determines the heat required to change the particle temperature.
Latent Heat is the heat required to vaporize the volatiles. This
can usually be set to zero when the non-premixed combustion
model is used for coal combustion. If the volatile composition
has been selected in order to preserve the heating value of the
fuel, the latent heat has been effectively included. (You would,
however, use a non-zero latent heat if water content had been
included in the volatile definition as vapor phase H2 O.)

12-47
Vaporization Temperature is the temperature at which the coal

devolatilization begins. It should be set equal to the fuel inlet
temperature used in prePDF.
Volatile Component Fraction determines the mass of each coal
particle that is devolatilized.
Binary Diffusivity is the diffusivity of oxidant to the particle
surface and is used in the diffusion-limited char burnout rate.
Particle Emissivity is the emissivity of the particles. It is used
to compute radiation heat transfer to the particles.
Particle Scattering Factor is the scattering factor due to particles.
Swelling Coefficient determines the change in diameter during
coal devolatilization. A swelling coefficient of 2 implies that
the particle size will double as the volatile fraction is released.
Burnout Stoichiometric Ratio is used in the calculation of the
diffusion-controlled burnout rate. Otherwise, this parameter
has no impact when the non-premixed combustion model is
used. When finite-rate chemistry is used instead, the stoichiometric ratio defines the mass of oxidant required per mass of
char. The default value represents oxidation of C(s) to CO2 .
Combustible Fraction is the mass fraction of char in the coal
particle. It determines the mass of each coal particle that is
consumed by the char burnout submodel.
!
12-48
The settings for the Vaporization Temperature, Combustible Fraction, and Volatile Component Fraction inputs should all be
consistent with your prePDF inputs. (See Step 1: Define the
Preliminary Adiabatic System in prePDF.)

4. Select the Single Rate Devolatilization Model for Devolatilization

Model.
(a) Select the single-rate option in the Devolatilization Model dropdown list.
This opens the Single Rate Devolatilization Model panel.
(b) Accept the default devolatilization model parameters.

5. Select kinetics/diffusion-limited for the Combustion Model.
(a) Select the kinetic/diffusion-limited option in the Combustion
Model drop-down list.
This opens the Kinetics/Diffusion Limited Combustion Model
panel.
(b) Accept the default values.

6. Click Change/Create and then close the Materials panel.

12-49
Step 9: Boundary Conditions

Define Boundary Conditions...
Hint: You can click your mouse probe button (the right button, by default) on the desired boundary zone in the graphics display window.
FLUENT will then select that zone in the Boundary Conditions panel.
1. Set the following conditions for the velocity-inlet-2 zone (the lowspeed inlet boundary).
Note: Turbulence parameters are defined here based on intensity
and hydraulic diameter. The relatively large turbulence intensity of 10% may be typical for combustion air flows. The
hydraulic diameter has been set to twice the height of the 2D
inlet stream.
For the non-premixed combustion calculation, you need to define the inlet Mean Mixture Fraction and Mixture Fraction Variance. For coal combustion, all fuel comes from the discrete
phase and thus the gas phase inlets have zero mixture fraction. Therefore, you can accept the zero default settings.
12-50


12-51
2. Set the following conditions for the velocity-inlet-8 zone (the highspeed inlet boundary).
12-52

3. Set the following conditions for the pressure-outlet-6 zone (the exit
boundary).
The exit gauge pressure of zero simply defines the system pressure
at the exit to be the operating pressure. The backflow conditions
for scalars (temperature, mixture fraction, turbulence parameters)
will be used only if flow is entrained into the domain through the
exit. It is a good idea to use reasonable values in case flow reversal
occurs at the exit at some point during the solution process.

12-53
4. Set conditions for the wall-7 zone (the furnace wall).

The furnace wall will be treated as an isothermal boundary with a
temperature of 1200 K.
(a) Under Thermal Conditions, select Temperature.

(b) Enter 1200 in the Temperature field.
Note: The default boundary condition for particles that hit the
wall is reflect, as shown under DPM. Alternate treatments
can be selected, using the BC Type list, for particles that hit
the wall.
12-54

Step 10: Solution

1. Set the P1 under-relaxation factor to 1.
Solve Controls Solution...
2. Initialize the flow field using conditions at velocity-inlet-2.
Solve Initialize Initialize...
(a) Select velocity-inlet-2 in the Compute From list.

(b) Click the Init button to initialize the flow field, and then close
the panel.
!
The Apply button does not initialize the flow field data. You
must use the Init button. (Apply simply allows you to store
your initialization parameters for later use.)
Note: Here, with very high pre-heat of the oxidizer stream, you
can start the combustion calculation from the inlet-based initialization. In general, you may need to start your coal combustion calculations by patching a high-temperature region and

12-55
performing a discrete phase trajectory calculation. This provides the initial volatile and char release required to initiate
combustion. The Solve/Initialize/Patch... menu item and the
solve/dpm-update text command can be used to perform this
initialization.
3. Enable the display of residuals during the solution process.
Solve Monitors Residual...
4. Save the case file (coal.cas).
File Write Case...
5. Begin the calculation by requesting 400 iterations.
Solve Iterate...
Note: The default convergence criteria will be met in about 170

iterations.
6. Save the converged flow data (coal.dat).
File Write Data...
12-56

Step 11: Postprocessing

1. Display the predicted temperature field (Figure 12.8).
Display Contours...
The peak temperature in the system is about 2260 K.

Hint: Use the Views panel (Display/Views...) to mirror the display
about the symmetry plane.

12-57
2.26e+03
2.16e+03
2.05e+03
1.94e+03
1.84e+03
1.73e+03
1.63e+03
1.52e+03
1.41e+03
1.31e+03
1.20e+03
Contours of Static Temperature (k)
Sep 10, 2001

FLUENT 6.0 (2d, segregated, pdf13, ske)
Figure 12.8: Temperature Contours
12-58

2. Display the Mean Mixture Fraction distribution (Figure 12.9).

Display Contours...
The mixture-fraction distribution shows where the char and volatiles

released from the coal exist in the gas phase.

12-59
3.72e-02
3.35e-02
2.98e-02
2.61e-02
2.23e-02
1.86e-02
1.49e-02
1.12e-02
7.45e-03
3.72e-03
0.00e+00
Contours of Mean Mixture Fraction
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.9: Mixture-Fraction Distribution
12-60

3. Display the devolatilization rate (Figure 12.10).

Display Contours...
(a) Select Discrete Phase Model... and DPM Evaporation/Devolatilization in the drop-down lists under Contours Of.
4. Display the char burnout rate (Figure 12.11) by selecting DPM
Burnout from the lower drop-down list.
Note: The display of devolatilization rate shows that volatiles are
released after the coal travels about one eighth of the furnace length. (The onset of devolatilization occurs when the
coal temperature reaches the specified value of 400 K.) The
char burnout occurs following complete devolatilization. Figure 12.11 shows that burnout is complete at about three-quarters
of the furnace.

12-61
2.95e-03
2.66e-03
2.36e-03
2.07e-03
1.77e-03
1.48e-03
1.18e-03
8.86e-04
5.90e-04
2.95e-04
0.00e+00
Contours of DPM Evaporation/Devolatilization (kg/s)
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.10: Devolatilization Rate
4.42e-04
3.97e-04
3.53e-04
3.09e-04
2.65e-04
2.21e-04
1.77e-04
1.32e-04
8.83e-05
4.42e-05
0.00e+00
Contours of DPM Burnout (kg/s)
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.11: Char Burnout Rate
12-62

5. Display the particle trajectory of one particle stream (Figure 12.12).

Display Particle Tracks...
(a) Select injection-0 in the Release From Injections list.

(b) Select Particle Residence Time in the Color By drop-down list.
(c) Turn on Track Single Particle Stream and set the Stream ID to
5.
(d) Click Display.

12-63
3.63e-01
3.27e-01
2.90e-01
2.54e-01
2.18e-01
1.81e-01
1.45e-01
1.09e-01
7.26e-02
3.63e-02
0.00e+00
Particle Traces Colored by Particle Residence Time (s)
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.12: Trajectories of Particle Stream 5 Colored by Particle Residence Time
12-64

6. Display the oxygen distribution (Figure 12.13).

Display Contours...
Note: Although transport equations are solved only for the mixture
fraction and its variance, you can still display the predicted
chemical species concentrations. These are predicted by the
PDF equilibrium chemistry model.
7. Select other species and display their mass fraction distributions
(e.g., Figures 12.1412.16).

12-65
2.33e-01
2.22e-01
2.11e-01
2.00e-01
1.89e-01
1.78e-01
1.67e-01
1.56e-01
1.45e-01
1.34e-01
1.23e-01
Contours of Mass fraction of o2
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.13: O2 Distribution

1.19e-01
1.07e-01
9.54e-02
8.35e-02
7.15e-02
5.96e-02
4.77e-02
3.58e-02
2.38e-02
1.19e-02
0.00e+00
Contours of Mass fraction of co2
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.14: CO2 Distribution
12-66

1.60e-02
1.44e-02
1.28e-02
1.12e-02
9.62e-03
8.02e-03
6.42e-03
4.81e-03
3.21e-03
1.60e-03
0.00e+00
Contours of Mass fraction of h2o
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.15: H2 O Distribution

6.99e-03
6.29e-03
5.59e-03
4.89e-03
4.19e-03
3.49e-03
2.79e-03
2.10e-03
1.40e-03
6.99e-04
0.00e+00
Contours of Mass fraction of co
Sep 10, 2001

Figure 12.16: CO Distribution

12-67
Step 12: Energy Balances and Particle Reporting

FLUENT can provide many useful reports, including overall energy accounting and detailed information regarding heat and mass transfer from
the discrete phase. Here, you will examine these reports.
1. Compute the fluxes of heat through the domain boundaries.
Report Fluxes...
(a) Select Total Heat Transfer Rate under Options.

(b) Under Boundaries, select the pressure-outlet-6, velocity-inlet-2,
velocity-inlet-8, and wall-7 zones.
(c) Click Compute.
Note: Positive flux reports indicate heat addition to the domain.
Negative values indicate heat leaving the domain. In reacting
flows, the heat report uses total enthalpy (sensible heat plus
12-68

heat of formation of the chemical species). Here, the net imbalance of total enthalpy (about 14 KW) represents the total
enthalpy addition from the discrete phase.
2. Compute the volume sources of heat transferred between the gas
and discrete particle phase.
Report Volume Integrals...
(a) Select Sum under Options.

(b) Select Discrete Phase Model... and DPM Enthalpy Source in
the drop-down lists under Field Variable.
(c) Select fluid-1 under Cell Zones.
(d) Click Compute.
The total enthalpy transfer to the discrete phase from the gas is
about -13.2 KW, as expected based on the boundary flux report
above. This represents the total enthalpy addition from the discrete
phase to the gas during the devolatilization and char combustion
processes.

12-69
3. Obtain a summary report on the particle trajectories.

The discrete phase model summary report provides detailed information about the particle residence time, heat and mass transfer
between the continuous and discrete phases, and (for combusting
particles) char conversion and volatile yield.
Display Particle Tracks...
(a) Select Summary under Report Type.
(b) Select injection-0.
(c) Click Track.
FLUENT will report the summary in the console window. (You
can write the report to a file by selecting File under Report to.
(d) Review the summary printed in the console window:
12-70

DPM Iteration ....

number tracked = 100, escaped = 0, aborted = 0, trapped = 0, evaporated = 0, incomp
Fate
Number
---Incomplete
-----100
Elapsed Time (s)

Inj
Min
Max
Avg
Std Dev
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ------2.398e-01 4.653e-01 3.096e-01 4.818e-02
inj
(*)- Mass Transfer Summary -(*)

Fate
---Incomplete
Mass Flow (kg/s)

Initial
Final
Change
---------- ---------- ---------1.000e-01 8.005e-03 -9.200e-02
(*)- Energy Transfer Summary -(*)
Fate
---Incomplete
Heat Content (W)

Initial
Final
Change
---------- ---------- ----------3.712e+03 9.532e+03 1.324e+04
(*)- Combusting Particles -(*)
Fate
---Incomplete
Volatile Content (kg/s)

Initial
Final
%Conv
---------- ---------- ------2.800e-02 0.000e+00 100.00
Char Content (kg/s)

Initial
Final
%Con
---------- ---------- -----6.400e-02 5.351e-06
99.9
Done.
The report shows that the average residence time of the coal particles is about 0.33 seconds. Volatiles are completely released within
the domain and the char conversion is 100% .
Extra: You can obtain a detailed report of the particle position, velocity,
diameter, and temperature along the trajectories of individual particles. This type of detailed track reporting can be useful if you are
trying to understand unusual or important details in the discrete
model behavior. To generate the report, visit the Particle Tracks
panel. Select Step By Step under Report Type, and File under Report to. Enable the Track Single Particle Stream option, and set the
Stream ID to the desired particle stream. Clicking Track will bring

12-71
up the Select File dialog box, where you will enter the name of the
file to be written. This file can then be viewed with a text editor.
Summary: Coal combustion modeling involves the prediction of volatile

evolution and char burnout from the pulverized coal along with
simulation of the combustion chemistry occuring in the gas phase.
In this tutorial you learned how to use the non-premixed combustion model to represent the gas phase combustion chemistry. In
this approach the fuel composition was defined in prePDF and the
fuel was assumed to react according to the equilibrium system data.
This equilibrium chemistry model can be applied to other turbulent, diffusion-reaction systems. Note that you can also model coal
combustion using the finite-rate chemistry model.
You also learned how to set up and solve a problem involving a
discrete phase of combusting particles. You created discrete phase
injections, activated coupling to the gas phase, and defined the
discrete phase material properties. These procedures can be used
to set up other simulations involving reacting or inert particles.
12-72

Coal Combustion Simulation in FLUENT

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Tutorial 12.

Using the Non-Premixed

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

Air: 15 m/s, 1500 K

Air: 50 m/s, 1500 K

Figure 12.1: 2D Furnace with Pulverized Coal Combustion

Preparation for prePDF

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

Step 1: Define the Preliminary Adiabatic System

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

of the fuel. This is a useful option when the ultimate analysis

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

2. Define the chemical species in the system.

Setup Species Define...

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

The ultimate analysis, for the dry-ash-free coal, is known to be:

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

We can combine the proximate and ultimate analysis data to yield

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

4. Enter the fuel and oxidizer compositions.

i. Under Stream, select Oxidiser.

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

i. Under Stream, select Fuel.

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

(a) Select C(S) in the Defined Species list.

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

Note: prePDF will use this information during computation of the

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

The look-up table calculation performed by prePDF will result in a

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

(a) Keep the default setting for Automatic Distribution.

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

4. Save the adiabatic PDF file (coal ad.pdf).

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

PDF TABLE - CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM

Figure 12.2: Time-Averaged Temperature: Adiabatic prePDF Calculation

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

Step 3: Create and Compute the Non-Adiabatic

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

Using the Non-Premixed Combustion Model

1. Define the prePDF model type as non-adiabatic.

c Fluent Inc. November 27, 2001

2. Turn on the standard k- turbulence model.