Computer simulation of a vertical shaft furnace

This paper describes a mathematical model for the simulation of a vertical shaft furnace process. The model is a steady-state one and based on the principle of one dimensional zone analysis. In the model, the shaft furnace process has been decoupled into combustion, particle-gas dynamic and heat transfer sub-processes. Each subprocess is modelled independently and governing equations are formulated. These three sub-models are linked into a main computational model, which then resolves the interacting effects between the sub-processes iteratively. The computational model has been implemented using MATLAB. In addition, the model allows for variations in material properties due to temperature using polynomial approximation, as well as changes to the gas composition due to combustion. The model was used to predict the operating settings for the shaft furnace process. The predicted settings showed good agreement with actual settings obtained in production practice.