This paper on "Mathematical Modelling of Spray Combustion in Industrial Furnaces" was presented at the NAFEMS World Congress on Effective Engineering Analysis - 25-28 April 1999, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

Abstract

A mathematical model for the numerical simulation of the phenomena related with the combustion of sprays in industrial furnaces is described in this paper. The model is defined using a two-phase flow approach considering a gaseous phase and a liquid phase. The gaseous phase is described using an Eulerian formulation and the liquid phase is described using a Lagrangian formulation. The spray combustion is modelled assuming that the vaporised fuel burns as a diffusion flame. A combustion model based on the fast chemistry assumption is adopted. This type of models are frequently described using a conserved scalar approach. This article presents a simplified methodology of analysis, which foregoes this approach. This methodology justifies the application of a combustion model developed for single-phase flows and clarifies the solution used to solve a boundary condition problem related with the energy equation. The prediction ability of the model is evaluated using experimental results, available in the scientific literature of the speciality, obtained in a cylindrical laboratory furnace, correspondent to the combustion of a heavy fuel oil. It is concluded that the prediction's approach to the experimental results is good.