Modelling of heating and evaporation of n-Heptane droplets: Towards a generic model for fuel droplet/particle conversion

•A model for droplet heating and evaporation is developed in a generic 3D framework.•The model fully addresses the circulation, heat and mass transfer within droplets.•The computer code and generic model framework are validated by different means.•The code can be readily extended for modeling of solid fuel particle conversion.

This study is a part of a project that is targeted to optimize the pyrolysis process of biomass pellets for bio-oil production and to develop new technology to upgrade the bio-oil for use in transportation. Among others, study of pyrolysis of the biomass pellets and evaporation of the pyrolysis bio-oil droplets are two key tasks. This paper presents an effort towards a generic model that is beneficial to both the tasks. A computer code for droplet heating and evaporation is developed in a generic 3D model framework. The droplets are discretized into a number of control volumes along the radial, polar and azimuthal directions, respectively, on each of which the flow, heat and mass transfer are numerically solved using the finite volume method. During the transient heating and evaporation process, the interaction between the moving droplets and free-stream flow are properly considered. Droplet dynamics and size are also updated accordingly. The model is validated by analytical solutions to simplified cases and also by experimental data on heating and evaporation of n-Heptane droplets available in literature. Finally, the routines to extend the validated model for the two tasks of the project are discussed and outlined.