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Cross‐Scale Modeling and Simulation of Coal Pyrolysis to Acetylene in Hydrogen Plasma Reactors
Author(s) -
Yan Binhang,
Cheng Yi,
Jin Yong
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.13984
Subject(s) - particle (ecology) , tar (computing) , residence time (fluid dynamics) , nuclear engineering , hydrogen , pyrolysis , acetylene , coal , chemical reactor , percolation (cognitive psychology) , scale (ratio) , cracking , chemistry , coal gasification , mechanics , materials science , thermodynamics , engineering , physics , computer science , organic chemistry , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , biology , programming language , geology
Coal pyrolysis to acetylene in hydrogen plasma is carried out under ultrahigh temperature and milliseconds residence time. To better understand the complex gas‐particle reaction behavior, a comprehensive computational fluid dynamics with discrete phase model has been established, with special consideration of the particle‐scale physics such as the heat conduction inside particle. The improved chemical percolation devolatilization model that incorporates the tar cracking reactions is adopted. The model predictions are in good agreement with the performances of two pilot‐plant reactors. The simulations reveal the detailed unmeasurable information of gas phase and particle‐scale behaviors, then point out the facts that coal devolatilization almost finishes in the first 100 mm of the reaction chamber and the optimal particle diameter is suggested to be 20–50 μm. The different reactor performances during the scale‐up from 2‐ to 5‐MW unit are analyzed based on the detailed simulation results in combination with the operational experience. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2119–2133, 2013