A discrete-continuous approach to describe CaCO3 decarbonation in non-steady thermal conditions

• XDEM is used for predicting CaCO3 decarbonation in non-steady thermal conditions.
• Predictions include major properties e.g. temperature and species distribution inside particles.
• Interaction between particles and gas is accounted for.
• Thermal interaction with walls is accounted for.
• Results have been compared with experimental data with good agreement.
• The study is presented as a first step towards the prediction of cement production process.

In cement production, direct measurements of thermal and chemical variables are often unfeasible as a consequence of aggressive environments, moving parts and physical inaccessibility, and therefore prediction models are essential tools in these types of industrial applications. This article addresses the problem of the numerical prediction of the CaCO3 calcination process, which is the first and the most energy expensive process in clinker production.This study was conducted using the Extended Discrete Element Method (XDEM), a framework which allows a Eulerian approach for the gas phase to be combined with a Lagrange one for the powder phase.A detailed validation of the numerical model was performed by comparison to non-isothermal TG curves for mass loss during the CaCO3 decarbonation process. The complex three-dimensional predictions for solid and gas phases are believed to represent a first step towards a new insight into the cement production process.Thus, the high accuracy and detailed description of the problem addressed, serve as a basis to assess the uncertainty of more simplified models such as those used in soft sensors.

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