USE OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR PREDICTION OF BURN OUT OF CHAR SUSPENSIONS

A simple one-dimensional mathematical model is developed which is used to calculate the burn away of char suspensions. The model consists of a rate equation for the combustion of a single carbon sphere, derived from boundary layer diffusion and kinetic theory, which is combined with an approximation to the size distribution of a suspension, permitting the calculation of the instantaneous combustion rate of the whole cloud. To allow the calculations to proceed in time, balance equations are set up, from which the time dependent parameters of the rate equation can be calculated as the computations proceed. The model is used to investigate the relative importance of the parameters involved in the rate equation in determining the burn out of a suspension. The model is then tested by comparing predicted burn out curves with those obtained experimentally under uni-dimensional conditions. © 1969.