Numerical simulation of the effect of burden profile on gas flow in a COREX shaft furnace

This work investigates the effects of burden profile on particle segregation, void distribution and gas flow in an ironmaking COREX shaft furnace using DEM-CFD model. The simulation results show that burden profile directly affects particle distribution and particle segregation. The coke and ore particles will move away from the landing point, while the pellets stay closer to the landing point. Due to the segregation, the 'V' sh5ape profile produces the largest voidage, the inverse 'V' shape profile produces the next largest voidage, and the 'Flap' shape profile shows the minimum voidage. The 'V' shape burden profile promotes the center gas distribution, while the inverse 'V' shape profile may promote the edge gas flow. Considering the insufficient center gas distribution in practice, the 'V' shape burden profile, which is suitable for developing a center gas flow, is the preferred burden profile compared to the other two investigated in this work. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.