Numerical simulation of pulverized coal combustion in a rotary kiln under O2/CO2 atmosphere

The cement industry is the second largest source of global man-made CO2 emissions after the power industry, and the adoption of O2/CO2 combustion technology for cement kilns is of great significance in reducing CO2 emissions. In this paper, the effects of pulverized coal mixed air combustion and pulverized coal mixed O2/CO2 combustion on the velocity field, temperature field, CO2 and NOx concentration distribution in rotary kiln were investigated by CFD technique. The results showed that there is no difference in the velocity distribution between the two atmospheres, and the speed difference between the primary and secondary air creates a re-circulation zone near the burner. The O2/CO2 atmosphere combustion decreased the maximum temperature, but improved the uniformity of the temperature field. The pulverized coal burnout rate under O2/CO2 atmosphere decreased by 3.55% compared to O2/N2 atmosphere. The mole fraction of CO2 at the rotary kiln outlet is 0.08 and 0.93 for O2/N2 and O2/CO2 combustion atmospheres, respectively. It is easier to achieve CO2 aggregation and capture under O2/CO2 atmosphere than under O2/N2. The NOx concentration at O2/CO2 is approximately one half of that at O2/N2, which can save the investment on denitrification equipment. The simulation results reasonably agree with the measured data. The findings of this work will provide a reference for the generalization and application of the O2/CO2 flue gas cycle calcinating cement technology.