Linde’s Industrial Gas Technology in Nonferrous Processing: Combining CFD with Partial Experimental Verification and Validation

Abstract

In primary and secondary nonferrous sectors, industrial gases and associated injection equipment are applied to oxyfuel and pneumatic injection technologies. The former is applied to decarbonization through the improved utilization of alternative fuels including a growing interest in hydrogen. The latter is concerned with gas jetting for metal mixing and refining. CFD is used to support the design, installation and start-up of oxyfuel burners and gas injection equipment. Verification and validation (V&V) in CFD output can be enhanced via experimental efforts; however, the extraordinary difficulty in taking measurements in production furnaces under hot conditions is fully appreciated. We present an approach on a partial V&V method relying on basic assumptions in the computational and experimental domains, wherein posteriori error estimation is partially fulfilled through experiment. We draw upon industrial installations in the following reactors: fluidized bed roaster (g-g), cylindrical-horizontal furnaces (g-l) top-blown and submerged) and straight grate/rotary kilns (g-s).