Modeling of Interfacial Transport Processes in A Direct Contact Condenser For Metal Recovery

Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications
ISSN: 1040-7782 (Print) 1521-0634 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/unht20
MODELING OF INTERFACIAL TRANSPORT

PROCESSES IN A DIRECT-CONTACT CONDENSER
FOR METAL RECOVERY
Hasmet Turkoglu , Bakhtier Farouk & Lei Yang
To cite this article: Hasmet Turkoglu , Bakhtier Farouk & Lei Yang (1998) MODELING OF
INTERFACIAL TRANSPORT PROCESSES IN A DIRECT-CONTACT CONDENSER FOR
METAL RECOVERY, Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications, 33:5, 457-475, DOI:
10.1080/10407789808913949
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10407789808913949
Published online: 15 Mar 2007.
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MODELING OF INTERFACIAL TRANSPORT
PROCESSES IN A DIRECT-CONTACT
CONDENSER FOR METAL RECOVERY
Hasmet Turkoglu, Bakhtier Farouk, and Lei Yang

MechanicalEngineering and Mechanics Department, Drexel University,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Downloaded by [Ege Universitesi Rektorlugu] at 07:46 05 October 2017
A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic model has been developed to investigate

the efficiency of a direct-contact metal recovery condenser as a function of the operating
conditions (droplet diameters, droplet injection rate) and overall condenser dimensions. The
Eulerian-Lagrangian approach is used to model the condenser, where liquid zinc droplets
are injected into a zinc vapor lode" gas stream so that zinc vapor can directly condense on
the droplets. The results show that there exists an optimum droplet injection rate that
maximizes condenser efficiency.
INTRODUCTION
Electric arc furnaces (EAFs) are commonly used for scrap melting in modern
steel making operations. The high temperature in the arc causes much of the scrap
to vaporize. This exhaust gas contains iron, zinc, lead, cadmium, chromium,
magnesium, etc. (known as dust). The composition of the dust depends on the type
of scrap metal processed in the furnace. Because of the toxic element content (i.e.,
lead, cadmium, and chromium), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
classified EAF dust as a hazardous waste. Land disposal was prohibited on August
1988. Before this date, EAF dust was disposed in landfills (72%) or shipped for zinc
recovery 04.5%) and for fertilizer manufacture (8.9%) [1]. The new EPA regula-
tion requires dust to be processed before it is disposed. Feasibility studies per-
formed by the Center for Metal Production (CMP) showed that the cost of the
treatment of EAF dust can be completely offset if sufficient zinc is recovered from
the dust. Lead and cadmium are also recovered with the zinc.
Iron and other heavy substances (Mg, Mn, Ca, etc.) can be recovered from
the dust using physical separation techniques. After separation of these elements,
dust becomes zinc rich (ZnO). In a separate plasma unit, zinc oxide is carburized,
and a mixture of zinc vapor, CO, and CO 2 is obtained. Then in a condenser, zinc
vapor is condensed out from the mixture (see Figure 1). The condenser contains a
liquid zinc layer at the bottom and is fitted with inlet and outlet ports. An impeller
Received 6 June 1997; accepted 6 November 1997.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial and technical support received from A1IMet
Technologies, Inc., Trevose, Pennsylvania.
Address correspondence to Professor Bakhtier Farouk, Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics,
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: bfarou@coe.drexel.edu
Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A, 33:457-475,1998

Copyright 1998 Taylor & Francis
1040-7782/98 $12.00 + .00 457
458 H. TURKOGLU ET AL.
NOMENCLATURE
Ad projected area of a droplet Pr Prandtl number I = v/ a )
b condenser width Pr, turbulent Prandtl number
B body force q heat transfer rate to droplets due
C mass fraction of zinc vapor to convection
CD dimensionless drag coefficient R universal gas constant,
C" mass fraction of zinc vapor at the J/(kg mol K)
condenser exit Re droplet Reynolds number
Gin mass fraction of zinc vapor at the Sc Schmidt nurnber I = v/D)
condenser inlet Sc, turbulent Schmidt number
Cp specific heat of gas phase Sh Sherwood number (= hmd/D)
CPd specific heat of droplets t time, S
C, mass fraction of vapor at the T gas phase temperature

droplet surface Td droplet temperature
Coo mass fraction of vapor in the r: reference temperature. K
free stream u continuous phase velocity
dd droplet diameter component in x direction
D binary diffusion coefficient v continuous phase velocity
h heat transfer coefficient at component in y direction
droplet-gas interface V gas phase velocity vector
hm mass transfer coefficient at Vd particle phase velocity vector
droplet-gas interface r mass diffusion coefficient (= pD)
H condenser height ilriz total mass exchange rate between
k thermal conductivity of gas phase droplets and gas phase
L length of condenser ilM total momentum exchange between
c.. distance between inlet and exit droplets and gas phase
port centers ilE total energy exchange between
L, latent heat of droplet substance droplets and gas phase
';1 total particle mass injection rate Tlef! condenser efficiency
tnd mass of a droplet [~ (C" - Ce,)/C"l
M. molecular weight of gas mixture I" viscosity of the mixture, kg/(m s)
M, molecular weight of droplet 1"1 turbulent viscosity of the mixture,
substance kg/(m s)
Nu Nusselt number between droplets p density of mixture, kg/m3
and gas phase Pd density of droplet substance
I' pressure v kinematic viscosity
1', partial pressure of vapor T characteristic time
(half immersed in the zinc layer) is rotated at high speed to inject a continuous
stream of droplets into the gas space. Under proper thermodynamic conditions,
condensation will occur on the zinc droplets, and eventually, they will fall into the
zinc bath. In practice, the condensed liquid is periodically withdrawn from the
condenser via a bottom exit port. It is also known that in low-temperature regions,
the zinc vapor reoxidizes with CO 2 and forms a dross on the droplet surfaces.
Hence, efficient condenser operation and better designs require detailed under-
standing of the transport processes as well as of the chemical reactions taking place
in the condenser.
The injected droplet is subjected to the following: heat transfer by convection
from the hot gas-vapor mixture to the droplet surface, and latent heat transfer due
to condensation. Zinc vapor diffuses on the droplet surface due to the vapor
MODELING OF INTERFACIAL TRANSPORT PROCESSES 459
Figure I. Sketch of the direct-contact

zinc condenser.
concentration difference in the bulk and on the droplet surface. As a result of the
condensation, the concentration of the noncondensables around the droplet in-
creases. This inhibits condensation, since concentration of noncondensables affects
the partial pressure of the vapor at the droplet surface.
In the present study, a mathematical model has been developed to investigate
the transport processes in the zinc condenser and then to calculate its condensa-
tion efficiency as a function of the operating conditions and dimensions. The
incoming gas mixture (C0 2 , CO, and zinc vapor) flow is formulated as a contin-
uum. Changes in the concentrations of the species (C0 2 , CO, zinc vapor) due to
condensation is simulated by solving the flow equations along with a concentration
equation for the zinc vapor species. Momentum, heat, and mass balance equations
are solved for individual droplets. Effects of the droplets on the continuous phase
governing equations are introduced as source/sink terms. No chemical reactions
(conversion of zinc to zinc oxide) have been considered in the present analysis. A
model to incorporate relevant chemical reactions within the condenser is now
under development.
MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION
The flow under consideration is two phase, the gas mixture being the
continuous phase and the droplets being the dispersed phase. Such droplet-gas
flows can be formulated on the basis of a Eulerian-Eulerian [2, 31 or Eulerian-
Lagrangian approach [2, 4, 51. In the first approach, both phases are treated as
continuous fields interacting and interpenetrating with each other. In the Eulerian-
Lagrangian approach the gas phase is treated as a continuum, while equations of
motion, an energy balance, and a mass balance equation are solved for the
particles. In general, selection of the formulation method for two-phase flows is
problem dependent. Since the droplet diameter distribution is not uniform and
there are multiple injection locations for the present condenser, the Eulerian-
Lagrangian formulation is used in the present study. Mass, momentum, and energy
balance equations are solved for representative classes of droplets that represent
the injected particles. The effects of the droplets on the continuous phase motion
are also considered and are introduced as source terms into the field equations
governing the continuous phase.
The present study is restricted to the two-phase flow regimes where the
droplet-droplet interaction is negligible. The initial breakup of liquid ligaments
into liquid droplets is not considered. The effect is thought to be significant only at
the droplet formation region (near the impeller). However, the effect of the
droplets on gas-phase transport is considered in the present study. It is assumed
that droplets have already formed when they enter the computational domain. The
droplets are assumed to be spherical and to stay spherical as condensation/evapor-
ation takes place. The condensation/evaporation on the droplet surface is formu-
lated as a function of the difference between the vapor concentration in the bulk
and on the droplet surface.
Continuous Phase Equations

A complete description of the continuous phase flow, temperature, and vapor
concentration fields requires derivation of differential equations in three-dimen-
sional space and specifications of appropriate boundary conditions. In addition, the
effects of the droplets on the gas phase equations must be included. Turbulence in
the continuous (gas) phase is predicted using a standard two-equation k-e model.
Continuity equation. The continuity equation for steady state flow of a
gas-droplet mixture with phase change can be written as
a a a
- ( pu) + - ( pu) + - ( pw) = tim (I)
ax ay az
where tim represents rate of phase change per unit volume and P is calculated
from densities of chemical species as
1 N, C.
- = L:"":'
P i-I Pi
and
PI;
Pi = RT
The derivation of the mass source term in Eq. (1) is given in the section below,
Droplet Source Terms in the Continuous Phase Equations.
Momentum equation. The x, y, and z direction momentum equations for
the gas phase are given respectivelyas
+ - a(PVeff-
au) + S' + tiM' (2)
az az
: / puu) + : / pou) + :z (puw) = - :~ + :x (PVeff ::) + :y (PV eff : ; )
a ( PVeff-
+- aU)
az az
a a a
-(pwu) + -(pwu) + -(pww)
ax ay az
aw) + SZ + I1M z
+ - a ( PVeff- (4)
az sz
The last terms (11M" I1MY, I1M Z ) in the above equations represent the momen-
tum source/sink due to the droplets in the flow domain. The terms S" SY, and SZ
represent other forces, i.e., body force, acting on the gas phase. Here, Veff is the
effective kinematic viscosity defined as
Explicit forms of the 11M terms are given in the section below, Droplet Source
Terms in the Continuous Phase Equations.
Energy equation. The conservation of energy equation for the gas phase
flow can be written as
a a a
-(puT) + -(puT) + -(pwT)
ax ay az
= !-(Pf aT) + !-(Pfh aT) +

ax h ax ay ay az
~(Pf aT) + 11 + Q R
h sz Cp Cp
(5)
where 11 is the energy exchange rate term due to the liquid droplets and Q R is
the heat source/sink due to any chemical reaction (not considered in this study),
I'h is the effective heat diffusion coefficient defined as
V VI
f h = - +- = a +a
Pr Pr, '
The explicit form of the 11 term is again given in the section below, Droplet
Source Terms in the Continuous Phase Equations.
Species concentration equation (zinc vapor). The mass fraction of the
species in the mixture changes due to the phase change (condensation) and
chemical reactions. In order to simulate change in the concentration of the species
(Zn, CO 2 , CO) in the mixture and the chemical reactions (which depend on the
ratio of the' species concentrations), a species concentration equation should be
solved for each species:
a a a
- ( puC) + - ( puC) + - ( pwC)
ax ay az
a( ec, ) a ( ec, ) a ( oc, )

= -
ax pfc ' - ax + -ay pfc,- By + -Bz pfc '- az + SCR ' + Spc, (6)
where SCR is source/sink of species i due to chemical reaction (not considered in

this study); Spc, is the source/sink of species i due to phase change (if any), and
f c , is the effective mass diffusivity for species i defined as
v v
f=-+-=D+D
c Sc Sc t t
Here Sc and SC t are molecular and turbulent Schmidt numbers, respectively. It

should be noted that the phase change (condensation) affects only the zinc vapor
concentration. Since no chemical reactions were considered in the present analysis,
the total amount of CO and CO 2 in the condenser is conserved. The zinc vapor
undergoes condensation, and the recovery amount is given by the difference of the
inlet and outlet zinc vapor concentrations. In the rest of the article, symbol C
denotes zinc vapor mass concentration.
Droplet Equations
ln order to evaluate the source terms in the continuous phase equations due
to the presence of the droplets, it is necessary to predict droplet trajectories,
droplet size, and temperature histories. This is accomplished by solving the mass,
momentum, and energy balance equations for the droplets. An impeller injects
liquid zinc from the bottom of the condenser into the mixture at a rate propor-
tional to the rotation rate of the impeller. The droplet size distribution is nonuni-
form in general. Thus nonuniformity in the droplet size distribution should be
taken into account in the computations. In the present study, it is assumed that the
droplets are spherical and have a Gaussian size distribution. Seven droplet size
groups and eight injection ports are considered for the present computations. Thus
the total number of droplet equations solved is 56 (8 X 7). These droplet classes
are assumed to represent the entire injected spray adequately. The effect of the
droplets on the gas phase momentum and energy equations has also been consid-
ered.
Droplet equations of motion. Equations of motion for a droplet can be
established using a force balance. In a droplet-gas flow the gas density is rather low
compared to that of the droplet substance. It is reasonable to assume that the only
forces affecting the droplet motion are viscous drag and gravity. The equation of
motion for a single droplet then can be written as
where Cr , V, and Vd , are the friction coefficient, gas phase velocity vector, and
droplet velocity vector, respectively, and g is the gravity vector. The friction
coefficient C r is calculated from
(8)
where CD is the dimensionless drag coefficient and Ad is the projected area of a

droplet. The drag coefficient for a droplet in the absence of phase change can be
represented by [6]
24
CD = -(1 + 0.15Reo. 687 ) (9)
Re
for Re up to 1000. The droplet Re is calculated as
IV - Vdldd
Re=----
v
It was demonstrated by Huang and Ayyaswamy [7] that the effect of condensation
on the drag forces is insignificant. Hence Eq. (9) is used in the present computa-
tions without any modification.
Now Eq. (7) can be rearranged as
av,
- =
18pI
- - (2 V - V ) +g (10)
dt Pdd d
where
(11)
The droplet velocity can be solved by integrating Eq. (10) over a time interval ilt,
such that

where Vd , the droplet velocity at the beginning of the time increment and T is the
characteristic time defined by
(13)
After determining the new droplet velocity at time I!J.t, the droplet position at time
I!J.t is obtained from
(14)

Where x d , is the droplet position at the beginning of the time increment.
Droplet mass balance. The rate of change of droplet mass is given by
dm d
---;j( = Sh pD7TdiCoo - C,) (15)
where Sh is Sherwood number and D is the binary mass diffusion coefficient of

zinc vapor in the gas mixture. Coo and C, are the mass fractions of zinc vapor in the
free stream and at the droplet surface, respectively. Coo is calculated from the
average zinc vapor concentration surrounding the droplets. The Sherwood number
is calculated as suggested by Ranz and Marshall [8],
Sh = 2 + O.6Re.5 SCO.33 (16)
where Sc is the Schmidt number. Also, Re is the droplet Reynolds number based
on droplet diameter, droplet slip velocity, and gas phase viscosity. Using Eq. (15),
the rate of change of droplet diameter with time can be written as
(17)
The droplet size history is then found to be
(18)
where dd. is the droplet diameter at the beginning of the time step and I!J.t is the
time interval. Considering the mixture as an ideal gas, the mass fraction of the zinc
vapor at the droplet surface is given by
(19)
where P; is the partial pressure of the zinc vapor and My and M g are the
molecular weights of the zinc vapor and the gas mixture, respectively. If the phase
change is taking place slowly, the partial pressure of the vapor at the surface of the
droplet corresponds to the saturation conditions at the temperature of the droplet
[4].
Droplet energy balance equation. The droplet temperature changes due
to heat exchange between the droplet and the surrounding environment by
convection (sensible heat) and the resulting phase change (latent heat). The heat
balance equation for a droplet can be written as
(20)
where 4 is the heat exchange rate due to convection between the droplet and the
gas phase, L; is the latent heat of vaporization, and CPd is the specific heat of the
droplet substance. The rate of heat transfer to the droplet is obtained from
(21)
where k is the thermal conductivity of the gas phase and Nu is the Nusselt number.
The Nusselt number is calculated as [8]
Nu = 2 + 0.6Re o.5 PrO. 33 (22)
Equation (20) can now be rearranged as
(23)
where Q L and (J are defined as
L Sh pD(Coo - Cs )
QL = Nuk
and
respectively. Integrating Eq. (21) over a small time interval ilt and assuming the
gas temperature is constant over the period of the integration, we obtain

where Td, is the initial droplet temperature for the step.
Droplet Source Terms in the Continuous Phase Equations

In order to include the effects of droplets in the continuous phase equations,
mass, momentum, and energy exchange between the droplets and continuous
phase should be calculated. Droplets affect the flow field in the computational cells
through which they pass. Effects of the droplets on the balance equations for a cell
can be found by summing the exchanges between individual droplets and the gas
phase. In general, droplets can be injected at more than one port and in different
diameters.
The entry of droplets is represented by a finite number of injection ports. The

total mass of droplets with diameter d, entering from port j per unit time is given
by
(25)
where m is the total droplet mass inflow rate, X j is the fraction of the droplet mass
that enters at port j, and Y; is the fraction of droplet mass with initial diameter dd,'
The number flow rate of droplets of initial diameter d, at injection port j is
determined by
(26)
assuming that droplets are spherical. Here, Pd is the density of the droplet.
Mass source. The source term llrn in the continuity equation (and vapor
mass fraction equation) results from the phase change. It can be related to the
droplet diameter as it passes through the control cell. The mass transfer from the
droplets with initial diameter d, originating from injection port j is obtained from
3 3
A ( d J.t ) in _ (d j,t )
out
urn,),1, = 7Tn
r,d 'TJ'1. , 6 (27)
'
where subscripts "in" and "out" stand for particle characteristics at the control cell
entrance and exit, respectively. The mass transfer from all the particles originating
from port j is calculated as
(28)
The total mass transfer is calculated as
L L
K N
. (d 3 )
in
_ (dl,t3 ) out
urn =
A'
7TP d 'TI. '
,,'1).'
),1
6 (29)
) I
where K and N are the number of droplet injection ports and droplet size groups,
respectively.
Droplet momentum source. The momentum exchange between the gas
phase and the droplets takes place through drag and implicitly through mass
transfer. The momentum exchange between the continuous phase and the droplets
in a control cell can be expressed as '
K N
llM = L L 'TJj,i tU'ctjVdj'i - V) dt (30)
} I In
Droplet energy source. The droplet energy source term tJ.E can also be
obtained as above. The energy source due to droplets with diameter d, originating
at injection port j is
C P,d [(Td1,1dj,t
3
.) in - (T d 3
d j,t J,I. ) out ]
tJ.Ej,i = 7TPdTlj.i 6 (31)
The energy source due to all the particles originating from port j is
~
N

C'
P,d
[(Tdi,1 dJ,t3 ) in - (T d3
di,l j,t
)
out
]
L. 7TPdTlj.i 6 (32)
Finally, the total energy exchange is calculated as
. L:
K N
L: . C P. d[(Td dJ,t
3
)
in
- (Td d
i,l
3
)
out
]
j,l Jtt
tJ. E = ..
) .
7TPd'>1. . -----''-'--'---'-'''--'--'---'-'''=-
"),' 6
(33)
SOLUTION PROCEDURE
The three-dimensional governing equations of both gas phase and droplet
motion along with appropriate boundary conditions were solved numerically. The
flow domain was divided into control volumes (cells). The governing equations of
the gas phase were integrated over these control volumes. The droplet trajectories,
size, and temperature history were obtained by integrating the droplet equations of
motion, mass, and energy, respectively. This technique is known as particle-source-
in-cell, and details are given by Crowe et al. [4].
For gas phase flow, uniform flow conditions were used for the inlet port to
the condenser (see Figure 1). No-slip boundary conditions were considered for the
condenser walls and the liquid floor for gas phase motion. Zero-gradient conditions
were considered for the condenser exit port. The partially immersed impeller is
located at the center of the condenser floor (see Figure 1). For the droplets the size
distribution (Gaussian) along with the mean droplet size are specified. Multiple
injection ports are considered along the perimeter of the impeller (6 em in
diameter).
The computations are initiated by solving the gas phase equations assuming
no droplets are present in the flow domain. Using the computed flow field, droplet
class trajectories and their size and temperature histories are calculated. The mass,
momentum, and energy source terms for the gas phase equations for each compu-
tational cell are then determined. Incorporating these source terms, the gas phase
flow field is solved again. The new gas flow field is then used to calculate updated
droplet trajectories along with their size and temperature histories. This process is
repeated until the flow field equations and the droplet equations are solved within
small convergence limits.
The present multiphase flow algorithm has been used by the authors in
different types of gas/liquid flows [9-11]. The validity of the numerical scheme in
predicting such flows has been established. A mesh size of 60 X 60 X 40 (x X y X z)

was considered for all computations reported in the study. Nonuniform mesh
distribution was used to account for the non uniformity of the flow near rigid walls.
A 20% increase in mesh size produced insignificant changes in the base case
predictions. All computations were carried out on an IBM RISCj6000 Model 360
workstation.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The three-dimensional geometry and coordinate system of the problem are
shown in Figure 2. A mixture of zinc vapor, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide
enters the condenser vertically downward. The mixture temperature at the inlet is
at 1400 K, and the mass fraction of the incoming zinc vapor is 45%. The other gas
phase conditions at the condenser inlet are given in Table 1. Properties of the
mixture given in Table 1 were calculated on the basis of the ideal gas assumption.
A layer of molten zinc at 900 K is present at the bottom of the condenser (see
Figure 1). All the walls are assumed to be insulated except the bottom wall, which
is also considered to be at 900 K. Condensation of the zinc vapor on the condenser
walls is assumed to be insignificant.
The gas phase (for the mixture of zinc vapor, CO, and CO 2 ) velocity and
temperature fields were predicted together with the zinc vapor concentration
distribution in the mixture. Droplet trajectories. droplet size, and temperature
along these trajectories were also calculated. The prediction of vapor concentra-
tion distribution in the condenser space provides a way to assess the zinc vapor
condensation rate. Average zinc vapor concentration in the gas at the condenser
exit is calculated and used as an indicator of condenser efficiency. The overall
condenser efficiency is given as
'l'/eff = (34)
where Cin and Co, are zinc vapor concentration in the gas at the condenser inlet
and exit, respectively. Computations were performed to investigate (1) effects of
Figure 2. Geometry and coordinate sys-

tem of the problem.
Table 1. Condenser inlet conditions
Variable Value
2
Pressure, N/m 1.01325 X 10'
Temperature, K 1400
Mass flow rate, kgyh
Zn vapor 152.8
CO 163.05
CO, 27.03
Total 343.03
Density." kg/m3
Zn vapor 0.576
CO 0.25
CO, 0.4
Mean inlet density: kg/m' 0.35
Mean inlet velocity. mys 3.02
" Calculated using the ideal gas equation of Slate.

b Calculated as a function of component volume
fraction.
droplet injection characteristics, i.e., droplet mean diameter at injection and total
droplet injection rate, on condenser efficiency and (2) effects of condenser dimen-
sions on condenser efficiency.
Computations were first performed for a base case to characterize the gas
phase flow fields, the droplet trajectories, and their size and temperature histories.
The inlet gas flow conditions and compositions (as given in Table 1) were held
fixed for all cases reported here. The effects of varying droplet injection character-
istics on condenser efficiency were then studied by considering cases with different
mean droplet diameters and different droplet injection (kgys) rates. The effects of
condenser geometry on condenser performance were also studied. For the base
case calculations, the condenser dimensions were given by 1.8 m X 0.5 m X 0.25 m
(length X width X height). The partially immersed impeller (see Figure 1) injects
liquid zinc droplets from the bottom of the condenser into the gas mixture at a rate
of 30 kgjs (the injection rate is a function of the impeller rotation rate and its
blade design). In general, the droplet injection velocity and the mass flow rate of
the injected liquid increase with increasing impeller rotation rate, while the droplet
size decreases. The average droplet diameter (for a given set of conditions) was
calculated using the correlation proposed by Champagne and Angers [I2]. The
three velocity components of the droplets at the injection points were calculated by
considering the impeller rotation rate, the number of blades in the impeller, the
blade geometry, and the liquid injection rate. For the base case the average droplet
diameter of the droplets at the impeller exit was considered to be 3 mm. Seven
droplet size groups were considered to account for the polydisperse nature of the
spray. The nonuniformity in the droplet size distribution was assumed to be
Gaussian. The diameter of each group was calculated by the expressions in Table 2.
The fraction of zinc OJ) in each size group was calculated from the normal
Table 2. Droplet diameter and fraction of total droplet

mass in each size group
Size group Droplet diameter Y;

I d", - 3 x (O.15d",) 0.09
2 d"e - 2 x (O.J5d.,e) 0.16
3 d", - 1 x (O.15dm ) 0.16
4 dave 0.18
5 d", + 1 x (0.15dm ) 0.16
6 d"e + 2 x (O.15d",) 0.16
7 d"e + 3 x (O.15d",) 0.09
distribution cUIVe. For a two-blade impeller, eight injection ports (four per blade)
were considered. Thus the total number of droplet equations to be solved was 56
(8 X 7).
The predicted gas phase velocity fields for the base case along the vertical
and horizontal midplanes of the condenser are shown in Figures 3 and 4, respec-
tively. The three-dimensional flow field is clearly represented in these figures. As
the metallic vapor laden gas stream enters the condenser, it impinges on the
molten zinc layer and is turned toward the exit port. The impeller located in the
center of the condenser injects a continuous stream of zinc droplets into the hot
gas mixture. The relatively cold zinc droplets initiate condensation at their outer
surface. The zinc droplets grow in size while in flight and eventually fall back into
the liquid bath. Slight perturbations in the gas velocity vectors are identified near
the center (and toward the bottom) of the condenser. These perturbations in the
gas phase flow are caused by the injected (colder) zinc droplets, which are thrown
upward to condense the (hotter) zinc vapor on the droplet surfaces.
Zinc vapor concentration contours on the vertical and horizontal midplanes
for the- base case are plotted in Figures 5 and 6. Significant gradients in the zinc
vapor mass fraction contours are found near the central region of the condenser
(impeller location). These results indicate that significant condensation of the zinc
vapor takes place around the droplet injection location. The zinc vapor concentra-
tions remain fairly uniform in the corner regions of the condenser and the inlet
and exit ports. Simulations were performed to evaluate the performance of the
condenser by independently varying the mean droplet size and the droplet mass
flow rate.
In addition to the base case calculations, computations were performed for
average injected droplet diameters of 2.0 and 4.0 mm. Total liquid injection flow
020"1I
0.10
r -s.qmls
I\
;;;! 1~
\\ \\ ,
' --
--- -- - - - -- - - - - ------------- />,
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~3333333 ~ i~ ~ ~ ~:::
0.5 1.0
-"
1.5
...'1
, i, .
Figure 3. Gas/vapor phase velocity field on vertical midplane for the

base case.
-5.01TliS
0.4
"
,I'
"
/~-----",-_
,..
/' --'
,.,-----,.,.# -
.
"'
__"
_-----
_ _ - - - - _
0.3
0.2
....... " .. ........... - ,1
0.1
~ ~ :::::::::;:::::::=~:.:=~::::::::::::::==::-- :.:.:.:
0.5 1.0 1.5
Figure 4. Gas/vapor phase velocity field on horizontal midplane for

the base case.
rate and all other gas flow parameters were the same as those used in the base case
. calculations. The condenser efficiency is plotted against the average droplet
diameter in Figure 7. As seen, system efficiency increases with decreasing average
droplet size. This is to be expected because (1) the droplet-gas interface area
increases with decreasing droplet diameter and (2) the droplet flight time increases
with decreasing droplet diameter (and weight), providing more time for condensa-
tion on the droplet surface. This indicates that injection conditions such as droplet
size are important parameters for condenser performance. Droplet average diame-
ter can be controlled by the impeller rotation rate and design.
The effects of the liquid zinc injection rate (kgys) on the condensation
efficiency are considered next. In the base case calculation, the mass flow rate of
zinc droplets injected into the gas stream was 30 kg/so The values of injection mass
flow rates were varied from 10 to 160 kg/so For all cases the mean droplet size was
held at 3.0 mm (as in the base case), but droplet injection velocities varied,
depending on the mass flow rate. In general, injection velocities of the droplets
increased with increasing mass flow rates. Figures 8 and 9 show the predicted gas
phase velocity fields in the vertical and horizontal midplanes, respectively, for the
case where the liquid zinc injection rate was 70 kg/so All other parameters for the
simulation were identical to those used in the base case. The high flow rate of the
liquid zinc particles significantly affects the gas flow field near the impeller location
(as evidenced in Figure 8). The flow field away from the impeller is similar to the
base case, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 10 shows the zinc vapor concentra-
tion contours for the same case (liquid zinc injection rate of 70 kg/s) at the
horizontal midplane of the condenser. The effect of the three-dimensional flow
field in the condenser is reflected on the zinc vapor concentration contours. The
high liquid droplet injection rate (along with the higher liquid droplet injection
velocities) enhances the condensation and improves the efficiency of the con-
denser.
0.20 ~
0.10
_ _==::J....._-""--............................. ~_..J.....lo<:..----..I.L
15
Figure S. Zinc vapor contours on vertical midpJane for the base case.
Figure 6. Zinc vapor contours on horizontal midplane for the base

case.
BO
~,.,
l!
.~ 60
u
IE
.j"' 40
0---
! 20+----....,..-----,,-----..,.------1
--.
2 3
AverageDroplet Diameter [mmJ
Figure 7. Variation of condenser efficiency with droplet diame-

ter.
1',.
Figure 8. Velocity field on vertical midplane for zinc injection rate of 70

kg/so
I ---
'.,,,
-. . 0--_------ --. . . ---. . -
-. ---------------
--......--...--------------
----_--..:~~-----------
_... \
,\ \ I
,\ II
-------~~.
"I II
_ _ _ _ _ _ _.--!: ~ :S ~:s,oe ,-_ I III
__ ~ ___"" ~ -:W" ". ~ o 1 -"///
- ----------
~ eo -
a~~ ..........--~----------- _ .....
~
Figure 9. Velocity field on horizontal midplane for zinc injection rate of 70

kg/So
Figure 10. Zinc vapor contours on horizontal midplane for zinc injection rate
of 70 kg/so
The condensation efficiency is plotted against the liquid zinc injection flow
rate in Figure 11. It is observed that the condensation efficiency increases rapidly
with the liquid zinc injection rate for low flow rates 50 kgys), When the
injection rate is over 50 kgys, the increase rate is arrested significantly. High flow
rates provide larger surface areas for condensation. However, with high mass flow
rates, the injection velocity increases also. Increasing droplet velocities have a dual
effect on the condensation. Higher velocities can increase the transport rates;
however, they also shorten the flight time of the droplets in the condenser.
High-velocity droplets hit the condenser walls or fall into the liquid pools within a
short time. Because of these competing effects, Ihe condenser efficiency does not
increase after a critical injection flow rate.
The effects of condenser length, width, and height (see Figure 2) on the
condensation efficiency were also investigated using the model developed. The
50.,.----------------,
2O,...-.. .
Q
- T " " " -......-r------.-~---l
50 100 150 200
lnjcctiOD Rare ( kgfs)

Figure 11. Variation of condenser efficiency with zinc injection rate.
20 +---~--r------"""T------l
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
Concteaser Hcigbc { m ]
Figure t2. Variation of condenser efficiency with condenser height.
change in condenser efficiency was insignificant when the length of the condenser
was varied by 20% or less of the length considered for the base case. The
condenser efficiency was considerably lower for a narrow width geometry. The
droplets hit the condenser walls early in this case, and hence condensation of the
zinc vapor on the droplet surface was reduced. However, when the width was about
20% more than the width considered in the base case, no appreciable increase of
efficiency was observed, compared to the base case efficiency. Condenser efficiency
was also found to be sensitive to the height of the condenser. Figure 12 shows the
condensation efficiency as a function of condenser height. All other conditions for
the gas phase flow at the inlet and the droplet characteristics at the impeller exit
were the same as in the base case. The results indicate that the efficiency increases
with condenser height for the range considered.
CONCLUSIONS
A comprehensive computational model was developed to simulate the trans-
port processes within a direct-contact metal condenser. A three-dimensional model
was developed for two-phase flow within the condenser. The effects of the droplets
on the gas-phase conservation equations were considered. Computations were
performed to analyze the condensation characteristics in an industrial-scale zinc
recovery condenser. Flow characteristics of zinc droplets injected into the con-
denser by an impeller were estimated. Condenser efficiency was predicted from the
difference of zinc vapor concentrations at the condenser inlet and exit. Effects of
the operating conditions and condenser dimensions on the condenser efficiency
were also investigated.
Because of the hostile environment within the condenser and the high cost of
experimental studies, the present model appears to be an attractive design tool.
Efforts are under way to further improve the applicability of the model by relaxing
some of the assumptions invoked in the present model. Zinc vapor is known to
react with CO at lower temperatures and form zinc oxide. Formation of zinc oxide
reduces the yield of condensed zinc. A kinetic model will be implemented to
consider the reaction. Droplet-droplet interactions will also be considered in future
modeling of the zinc condenser.
REFERENCES
1. D. R. MacRae and P. M. Cowx, Plasma Furnace Treatment of Electric Arc Furnace
Dust as Demonstrated by Bethlehem Tetronics, Center for Metal Production, CMP
Report No. 88.2, 1988.
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Eulerian Versus Lagrangian Approach, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 30, no. 12, pp.
2583-2593, 1987.
3. F. Durst, D. Milojevic, and B. Schonung, Eulerian and Lagrangian Predictions of
Particulate Two-Phase Flows: A Numerical Study, Appl. Math. Modeling, vol. 8, pp.
101-115, 1984.
4. C. T. Crowe, M. P. Sharma, and D. E. Stock, The Particle-Source-in-Cell (PSI-CELL)
Model for Gas-Droplet Flows, J. Fluids Eng., pp. 325-332, June 1977.
5. A. Adeniji-Fashola and C. P. Chen, Modeling of Confined Turbulent Fluid-Particle
Flows Using Eulerian and Lagrangian Schemes, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 33, no. 4,
pp. 691-701,1970.
6. R. Clift, J. R. Grace, and M. E. Weber, Bubbles, Drops and Particles, Academic Press,
New York, 1978. '
7. L. J. Huang and P. Ayyaswamy, Heat and Mass Transfer Associated with a Spray Drop
Experiencing Condensation: A Fully Transient Analysis, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol.
30, no. 5, pp.881-891, 1987.
8. W. E. Ranz and W. R. Marshall, Evaporation from Drops, Chern. Eng. Prog., vol. 48, pp.
141-146, 1953.
9. D. Mitra-Mazumdar, B. Farouk, and Y. T. Shah, Transport of Gas-Liquid Flows
Through Vertical Columns, Chern. Eng. Commun., vol. 137, pp. 191-209, 1995.
10. H. Turkoglu and B. Farouk, Effect of Gas Injection Velocity on Mixing and Heat
Transfer in Molten Steel Baths, Numer. Heat Transfer, Part A, vol. 21, pp. 377-399,
1992.
11. H. Turkoglu and B. Farouk, Numerical Computations of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer
in a Gas Stirred Liquid Bath, Metall. Trans. B, vol. 21, pp. 771-781,1990.
12. B. Champagne and R. Angers, Fabrication of Powders by the Rotating Electrode
Process, Int. J. Powder Metall. Powder Technol., vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 359-367,1980.

Modeling of Interfacial Transport Processes in A Direct Contact Condenser For Metal Recovery

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Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications

ISSN: 1040-7782 (Print) 1521-0634 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/unht20

MODELING OF INTERFACIAL TRANSPORT

Hasmet Turkoglu , Bakhtier Farouk & Lei Yang

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10407789808913949

Published online: 15 Mar 2007.

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Hasmet Turkoglu, Bakhtier Farouk, and Lei Yang

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic model has been developed to investigate

Received 6 June 1997; accepted 6 November 1997.

Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A, 33:457-475,1998

C, mass fraction of vapor at the T gas phase temperature

Figure I. Sketch of the direct-contact

Continuous Phase Equations

: / puu) + : / pou) + :z (puw) = - :~ + :x (PVeff ::) + :y (PV eff : ; )

= !-(Pf aT) + !-(Pfh aT) +

solved for each species:

a( ec, ) a ( ec, ) a ( oc, )

where SCR is source/sink of species i due to chemical reaction (not considered in

Here Sc and SC t are molecular and turbulent Schmidt numbers, respectively. It

motion for a single droplet then can be written as

where CD is the dimensionless drag coefficient and Ad is the projected area of a

for Re up to 1000. The droplet Re is calculated as

where Sh is Sherwood number and D is the binary mass diffusion coefficient of

Sh = 2 + O.6Re.5 SCO.33 (16)

The droplet size history is then found to be

balance equation for a droplet can be written as

Nu = 2 + 0.6Re o.5 PrO. 33 (22)

Equation (20) can now be rearranged as

where Q L and (J are defined as

Droplet Source Terms in the Continuous Phase Equations

The entry of droplets is represented by a finite number of injection ports. The

The total mass transfer is calculated as

Finally, the total energy exchange is calculated as

predicting such flows has been established. A mesh size of 60 X 60 X 40 (x X y X z)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 2. Geometry and coordinate sys-

Table 1. Condenser inlet conditions

" Calculated using the ideal gas equation of Slate.

Table 2. Droplet diameter and fraction of total droplet

Size group Droplet diameter Y;

Figure 3. Gas/vapor phase velocity field on vertical midplane for the

Figure 4. Gas/vapor phase velocity field on horizontal midplane for

Figure 6. Zinc vapor contours on horizontal midplane for the base

Figure 7. Variation of condenser efficiency with droplet diame-

Figure 8. Velocity field on vertical midplane for zinc injection rate of 70

Figure 9. Velocity field on horizontal midplane for zinc injection rate of 70

lnjcctiOD Rare ( kgfs)

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