Numerical modelling of calcination of limestone : An evaluation of existingcalcination model

Abstract: Calcination is important for modern society as we know it since products from the reaction is used inseveral industries. Calcination is a chemical reaction where a solid particle, e.g., limestone, is exposedto high temperature which causes volatile impurities to be released from the particle.One of the main challenges with lime production is the mere scale of commercial production. Ensuringgood calcination and high-quality lime in laboratory scale is relatively easy, whereas commercial limekilns produce 100 – 800 tons lime each day, causing the conditions to be much more challenging. Theenvironment inside a lime kiln is extreme, with temperatures exceeding 1200°C, and a moving stonebed makes measurements difficult to perform. To obtain information about the calcination processand the extreme environment that arises in commercial lime kilns, companies and researchers havedeveloped simulation programmes to evaluate how changes in ambient condition affect the calcinationprocess.In this project, a shrinking core model has been used to simulate calcination of limestone with variedgeometry and size in different ambient condition. A transient model was used to simulate the heatingphases before and after the calcination phase. The results obtain from the simulation are compared tomeasured data obtain by others.There are many similarities between the measured data and the simulation, a reoccurringphenomenon is that the transit model, during the pre-heating, heats the limestone faster compared tothe measured data. However, in one case, the transient model is slower. A reason for this may be thatthe transient model does not account for morphological effects, as they are included in the heattransfer coefficient instead, such as the thermal conductivity coefficient and specific heat transfercoefficient. The post heating phase, after the reaction phase, required further work.The simulation with the Shrinking core model shows that a cylindrical geometry requires longercalcination duration, or a higher ambient temperature compared to a spherical geometry, even if bothgeometries have same material properties and radius. The factor with the most influence uponcalcination time is the ambient temperature in combination with reaction temperature. A highercarbon dioxide pressure, above atmospheric CO2 partial pressure, has relatively small effect comparedto a low ambient temperature, less than 1000°C.