THE IMPACT OF RADIATION IN THE GAS COMBUSTION MODEL FOR SUGARCANE BAGASSE GRATE BOILER

Abstract This work evaluates the impact of different radiation models on the results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of a sugarcane bagasse grate boiler. CFD has been applied extensively in the development of comprehensive models for biomass heterogeneous combustion. The model presented in this paper considers the turbulent flow represented by the standard k-ε model and the homogeneous combustion of the volatiles CH4 and CO by the Eddy Dissipation Model (EDM). Thermal profiles have been evaluated by comparing the results obtained without radiation with the results obtained with radiation represented by the P1 Approximation Method and by the Discrete Transfer Method (DTM). The discussion of the flue gas temperature and chemical composition profiles provides useful information regarding the characteristics of the internal flow and of the equipment operating conditions