An advanced dynamic process model for industrial horizontal anode baking furnace

The global aluminum industry is facing new challenges due to new technological developments. Carbon anodes, consisting of mainly petroleum coke and coal tar pitch, are used in the electrolytic production of aluminum. High amperage utilization in the electrolytic cells with the objective of increasing production requires high quality carbon anodes. The anode quality depends both on raw material quality, anode recipe as well as forming and baking conditions of anode manufacturing process. The cost of the baking process constitutes 15 to 25% of the total aluminum production cost [1]. The industrial challenge is to produce better quality anodes consuming less energy, and reducing environmental emissions.A transient two dimensional (2D⁺) process model for horizontal anode baking furnace was developed during this study. The main objective was to develop an efficient furnace model with low computation load and time, using the transient Finite Difference Method and simplified furnace geometry. The model represents several phenomena involved during the anode baking process such as heat transfer (convection, radiation and conduction), fuel combustion, volatile matter (tar, methane and hydrogen) generation and combustion, air infiltration and energy loss to the atmosphere from the walls, the top of the furnace and the foundation. The model was developed using two coupled sub-models; the first one describes the thermal conduction through the solid materials (brick refractory wall, packing coke and anode block) as well as the volatile release, and the second one describes the gas flow, heat and mass transfer as well as the combustion of fuel and volatiles in the flue. Compared to the existing process models (where the gas flow in flue is assumed as unidirectional along the horizontal furnace direction), the present model also considers the gas flow in vertical direction and uses four vertical planes per pit section to predict the temperature of the solids. The model predicts 2D temperature distribution within the flue gas (xy plane) and the pit solid materials (yz plane) allowing then the prediction of the pseudo tridimensional distribution of the solid temperature. This model is a useful tool for the continuous monitoring of anode temperature and studying of the horizontal anode baking furnace behaviour. The effect of any change in operational parameters and the energy consumption on the furnace operation can be predicted.     

CFD modelling of the flow and reactions in the Olympic Dam flash furnace smelter reaction shaft

The performance of flash furnace burners can be evaluated quickly and efficiently using CFD modelling. Gas flows are modelled using the conventional Eulerian approach, while Lagrangian particle tracking is used to model the flow of solid feed through the burner and into the reaction shaft. A composite particle model has been developed that considers the solid feed to be made up of single particles containing appropriate quantities of concentrate, flux and dust. Solid fuels (such as coal) can also be included in the composite particle. Reactions between the solids and gas are then modelled using standard heat and mass transfer relationships. Results from the modelling process are shown for BHP-Billiton’s Olympic Dam copper flash smelter with the burner that was used from 1998–2003. Flow patterns, temperature and gas composition distributions, particle dispersion and residence time, and overall extent of sulphur removal are predicted and used to evaluate furnace performance. However, results are sensitive to the assumed size of the composite particles, and plant measurements are required to determine the appropriate composite particle size to predict quantitative data.     

Modelo de un proceso de cristalización continua de un sorbete por medio de la metodología de momentos

Freezing is an important step in the manufacturing process of ice-cream and sorbet, since the operating conditions have a strong influence on the micro-structure, and consequently on the sensorial attributes of the final product. This steep of freezing is carried out by a scraped surface heat exchanger (SSHE) where the product quality is conditioned by process conditions as the evaporation temperature of a refrigerant fluid, the mix flow rate, the dasher speed and the cylinder pressure due to the air introduction. In order to study the relevance of a control system based on the influence of process variables on product quality, this paper presents a model for a continuous crystallization of a sorbet using the method of moments, which is validated by experimental data.The model created by this methodology has been able to represent the influence of the process conditions during the crystallization of the sorbet on the final product characteristics such as crystal size and the draw temperature in the outlet of the SSHE in absence of air. The model based in moments is studied as a reduced model of the population balance equation and includes the phenomena of heterogeneous nucleation and growth. This model developed represents minimal computational requirements and is highly adapted for optimization and/or process control tasks.     

Dynamic modelling of die melt temperature profile in polymer extrusion: Effects of process settings,screw geometry and material

Extrusion is one of the major methods for processing polymeric materials and the thermal homogeneity of the process output is a major concern for manufacture of high quality extruded products. Therefore, accurate process thermal monitoring and control are important for product quality control. However, most industrial extruders use single point thermocouples for the temperature monitoring/control although their measurements are highly affected by the barrel metal wall temperature. Currently, no industrially established thermal profile measurement technique is available. Furthermore, it has been shown that the melt temperature changes considerably with the die radial position and hence point/bulk measurements are not sufficient for monitoring and control of the temperature across the melt flow. The majority of process thermal control methods are based on linear models which are not capable of dealing with process nonlinearities. In this work, the die melt temperature profile of a single screw extruder was monitored by a thermocouple mesh technique. The data obtained was used to develop a novel approach of modelling the extruder die melt temperature profile under dynamic conditions (i.e. for predicting the die melt temperature profile in real-time). These newly proposed models were in good agreement with the measured unseen data. They were then used to explore the effects of process settings, material and screw geometry on the die melt temperature profile. The results showed that the process thermal homogeneity was affected in a complex manner by changing the process settings, screw geometry and material.     

基于变工况运行超超临界锅炉NO_x排放的数值模拟研究

基于变工况运行,采用计算流体力学(CFD)模拟方法,对某电厂1000MW超超临界锅炉炉膛内CO、O_2、NO浓度场和温度场进行计算和分析.影响该锅炉NO_x排放浓度主要运行因素有燃用煤质、附加风量(AA风量)和过剩空气系数等.CFD数值模拟计算结果表明:锅炉通过合理组织炉内燃烧,实现了主燃烧区的较均匀的温度分布,主燃区的燃烧方式属于还原态燃烧方式;大量AA风的深度空气分级燃烧和锅炉低过量空气系数的有机结合及PM燃烧器的应用是该型锅炉NO_x排放浓度低的主要原因.     

Studies on micro-structure of manganese zinc ferrous ferrite in relation to its impurities and firing conditions

The preparation of high permeability manganese zinc ferrous ferrites is rather complicated and if one is to achieve high permeability and the other essential electrical characteristics of low losses, low temperature coefficient, relatively high specific resistivity, etc., quality controls at various stages of processing is essential. The microstructure of the sintered samples do have considerable influence on the electrical properties. The microstructure and the electrical properties of many specimens are correlated with raw material purity, firing conditions such as atmosphere, oxygen content, temperature of soaking, etc.     

CFD modeling of hydrodynamic characteristics of a gas–liquid two-phase stirred tank

A three-dimensional CFD model was developed in this work to simulate hydrodynamic characteristics of a gas–liquid two-phase stirred tank with two six-bladed turbines and four baffles, coupling of the Multiple Size Group model to determine bubble size distribution. Important hydrodynamic parameters of the multi-phase system such as volume-averaged overall and time-averaged local gas holdups and axial liquid velocities along time and transversal courses were simulated and analyzed in detail, under varied operating conditions (inlet air flow rate and impeller rotation speed). Model predictions of local transient gas holdup and liquid velocity distributions on vertical and horizontal sections of the tank were also carried out. The overall flow patterns were discussed in detail to assess the mixing. Bubble size distributions were further predicted to reveal the unique properties of gas phase. Experimental measurements of overall gas holdups and local axial liquid velocities were used to validate the developed model.     

Diagnostics of the anti-seepage screen of a protective dam in permafrost on using an inverse problem with piezometric measurement data

Using the finite elementmethod we designed and implemented a nonlinear geomechanical model of the rock mass in the vicinity of the protective dam of tailing facilities in the permafrost of the Kumtor mine (the Kyrgyz Republic). The model takes into account the information on the structure of the object, the data on the strain-strength, thermophysical and filtration properties of frozen and thawed soil, as well as on the seasonal variations in air temperature. Numerical experiments showed that, under constant external conditions, the invariant properties of the rock mass, and the position of the neutral layer, the zero isotherm separating frozen and thawed rocks reaches a stationary position in 12–15 years after filling the storage; minor damage to the antiseepage screen can lead to a vast destruction area in the body of the dam. Using synthetic data, we demonstrated the solvability of the inverse boundary-value problem of determining the timing and location of damage in the anti-seepage screen from the data of piezometric measurements at several observation wells.     

Thermoelastic problem for a circular cylinder of reinforced multilayer material

The temperature stresses and displacements are determined in an elastic circular cylinder of reinforced multilayer material. The relationship between the displacements of the inside and outside surfaces of the cylinder and the radial stresses and the mechanical and thermophysical properties of the components, the reinforcement ratio, and the ratio of the radii is investigated. The results are used to interpret the behavior of wound glass-reinforced plastic products under varying temperature conditions and during the curing stage.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 136–141, 1967     

Hollow glass microsphere production for laser direct-driven fusion targets on Shen Guang II

A liquid-droplet technique was investigated to fabricate thin wall hollow glass microspheres (HGM) used in laser fusion experiments on Shen Guang II. Glass-forming compositions, operating conditions of the droplet generator and the vertical multiple-zone furnace were optimized. Thin wall HGM with diameters of about 100, 200, and 520 μm were fabricated, whose failure pressures, gas retention properties for D2, and chemical durability were all characterized. The results of the fusion experiments show that the HGM targets are quite satisfactory and the highest neutron yields obtained are 4x 109.     

Physico-mechanical properties of polymer materials and the friction problem

Aspects of the friction behavior of polymer materials associated with their molecular structure and responsible for the relatively small value of the modulus of elasticity as compared with the ultimate strength are examined. It is shown that, in view of the important influence of hydrostatic pressure on the mechanical properties of polymer materials, the mechanical characteristics obtained from uniaxial testing cannot be used in calculating the contact area and the forces of friction. Formulas are presented for calculating the mechanical characteristics under these conditions. The results of indentation experiments designed to simulate contact processes are discussed. It is shown that the resistance to deformation of the asperities on the surface of polymer materials is of the order of the yield stress, and not two or three times greater, as with metals. The results of contact creep studies are described and evaluated. The results of investigations of the mechanical and antifriction properties of filled polymer materials show that the forces of friction are inversely proportional to the modulus of elasticity, while the thermophysical characteristics are a function not only of the thermophysical characteristics of the filler and the base, but also depend to a great extent on the shape of the filler particles; thus, when a fibrous filler with a low coefficient of linear expansion is used, the thermal stability of the friction material can be considerably improved. The results of a study of the adhesion interaction of polymer materials under conditions of omnidirectional nonuniform compression and simultaneous deformation are presented. It is shown that the adhesion interaction is strong even at room temperature. Aspects of the mechanical properties of lubricants that determine their effectiveness in polymer friction are considered.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 303–314, March–April, 1969.     

Stochastic optimization for blending problem in brass casting industry

A critical process in brass casting is blending of the raw materials in a furnace so that the specified metal ratios are satisfied. The uncertainties in raw material compositions may cause violations of the specification limits and extra cost. In this study, we proposed a chance-constrained stochastic programming approach for blending problem in brass casting industry to handle the statistical variations in raw material compositions. The proposed approach is a non-linear mathematical model that is solved global optimally by using GAMS/BARON solver. An application has been performed in MKEK brass factory in Kırıkkale, Turkey and the solution of the application has been compared with alternative solution approaches based on cost and specification violation risk conditions. This comparison demonstrates that the proposed model is the most effective solution approach for managing stochastic uncertainties in blending problems and successfully can be used other industries such as alloy steel or secondary aluminum production.     

Magnetogasdynamic natural convection in a long vertical microchannel

Since the transport behavior of ionized gases at the microscale could be influenced by an applied magnetic field with ease, microscale magnetogasdynamics (MGD) promises to be particularly advantageous for magnetically controllable microfluidic devices. The purpose of this study is to investigate how magnetic force affects the MGD natural convection within a long asymmetrically heated vertical planar microchannel. The fully developed solutions of the thermal-flow fields and their characteristics are analytically derived on the basis of the first-order slip and jump boundary conditions and then presented for the thermophysical properties of ionized air at the standard reference state flowing through the microchannel with complete accommodation. The calculated results reveal that magnetic force plays a damping role in flow and results in decreases in flow rate, average flow drag, and average heat transfer rate. In addition, it is interesting that because the flow near the core is suppressed and the shear stress on the wall surface is reduced by the magnetic effects, a flatter velocity profile could be achieved by a greater magnetic force. These magnetic effects could be further magnified by increasing gas rarefaction or increasing cooler wall temperature.     

Eulerian and Lagrangian predictions of particulate two-phase flows: a numerical study

To predict particulate two-phase flows, two approaches are possible. One treats the fluid phase as a continuum and the particulate second phase as single particles. This approach, which predicts the particle trajectories in the fluid phase as a result of forces acting on particles, is called the Lagrangian approach. Treating the solid as some kind of continuum, and solving the appropriate continuum equations for the fluid and particle phases, is referred to as the Eulerian approach.Both approaches are discussed and their basic equations for the particle and fluid phases as well as their numerical treatment are presented. Particular attention is given to the interactions between both phases and their mathematical formulations. The resulting computer codes are discussed.The following cases are presented in detail: vertical pipe flow with various particle concentrations; and sudden expansion in a vertical pipe flow. The results show good agreement between both types of approach.The Lagrangian approach has some advantages for predicting those particulate flows in which large particle accelerations occur. It can also handle particulate two-phase flows consisting of polydispersed particle size distributions. The Eulerian approach seems to have advantages in all flow cases where high particle concentrations occur and where the high void fraction of the flow becomes a dominating flow controlling parameter.     

Minimum quench energies of uncooled low temperature superconductors with temperature dependent thermophysical parameters

An analytical method for calculation of minimum quench energies (MQEs) of uncooled composite low temperature superconductors is presented. The method takes into account transient heat transfer in the conductor as well as temperature dependent ohmic heat generation and temperature dependent thermophysical properties of the conductor. MQE of the conductor is calculated based on the analysis of evolution of peak temperature in the normal zone. The method is validated by comparison of the obtained results with the experimental data as well as with analytical and numerical results taken from literature.     

The Effect of the Size of Carbon Fibers on the Physicomechanical Properties of Fluvis Composites

The effect of the size of carbon fibers on the thermophysical and strength characteristics of a Fluvis antifrictional composite, which is based on PTFE and modified Viscum fibers, is studied. It is found that, at a carbon-fiber length of about 100 m, a jump in the coefficient of linear thermal expansion occurs in all temperature ranges. An increase in the fiber length leads to a decrease in the density, resistivity, and compression strength of the composite.     

Thermal analysis of moving induction heating of a hollow cylinder with subsequent spray cooling: Effect of velocity,initial position of coil,and geometry

In this paper, temperature analysis of the complete process of moving induction heat treatment is performed using numerical methods. A non-linear and transient magneto-thermal coupled problem with a moving coil which is considered as moving heat source, is investigated by an efficient finite-element procedure. A vertical hollow circular cylinder is heated by the moving coil at a given velocity along it, and the heated parts then quenched by a moving water–air spray. The effects of natural convection with air on the both inner and outer surfaces of cylinder, and also radiation of outer surface of cylinder with ambient are taken into account. For quenching of work-piece, a specific kind of atomized spray cooling which utilizes a mixture of water and air with different mass fractions is used. This procedure includes moving boundary conditions, temperature-dependent properties, and change in magnetic permeability of specified alloy at the Curie temperature. Obtained numerical results have been verified by comparison with analytical solutions using Green’s function methods. Also, the effect of velocity, initial position of inductor and inner to outer radius ratio on temperature distribution are investigated.     

Optimal preventive maintenance of a production system with an intermediate buffer

In this paper we consider a model consisting of a deteriorating installation that transfers a raw material to a production unit and a buffer which has been built between the installation and the production unit. The deterioration process of the installation is considered to be nonstationary, i.e. the transition probabilities may depend not only on the working conditions of the installation but on its age as well. The problem of the optimal preventive maintenance of the installation is considered. Under a suitable cost structure it is shown that, for fixed age of the installation and fixed buffer level, the optimal policy is of control-limit type. When the deterioration process is stationary, an efficient Markov decision algorithm operating on the class of control-limit policies is developed. There is strong numerical evidence that the algorithm converges to the optimal policy. Two generalizations of this model are also discussed.     

Polymerization stresses in linear viscoelastic media

It is proposed to use a model of the hereditary type to take into account the stresses developing in the process of polymerization. The effect of the degree of polymerization (cure) on the viscoelastic properties of the material is taken into account by introducing a function analogous to the temperature shift function in time-temperature superposition. In this case the system of equations consists of the above-mentioned system of equations of viscoelasticity, the kinetic equation of the curing process, and the equation of heat conduction with allowance for the presence of sources and variable thermophysical characteristics.M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 716–723, July–August, 1968.     

Generalised magnetic polarizability tensors

We present a new complete asymptotic expansion for the low‐frequency time‐harmonic magnetic field perturbation caused by the presence of a conducting (permeable) object as its size tends to zero for the eddy current regime of Maxwell's equations. The new asymptotic expansion allows the characterisation of the shape and material properties of such objects by a new class of generalised magnetic polarizability tensors, and we provide an explicit formula for their calculation. Our result will have important implications for metal detectors since it will improve small object discrimination, and for situations where the background field varies over the inclusion, this information will be useable, and indeed useful, in identifying their shape and material properties. Thus, improving the ability of metal detectors to locate landmines and unexploded ordnance, sort metals in recycling processes, and ensure food safety as well as enhancing security screening at airports and public events.