NUMERICAL MODELING OF FLOW PATTERN AND COMBUSTION IN A INDUSTRIAL GLASS MELTING FURNACE

Heat transfer from the flame in a glass furnace is important for the efficient operation of any glass melting furnace. Numerical simulations of three-dimensional turbulent combustion with radiation heat transfer in the glass melting furnace are carried out in this paper. The comprehensive mathematical model is developed for simulating gas combustion and heat transfer. The standard k−ε turbulence model and EBU-Arrhenius model are incorporated into the comprehensive model. For radiation heat transfer, conventional six heat-flux model are used. On the basis of the above mathematical model, general numerical solution for the differential equations and computer codes have been successfully developed. Predicted results show that there is a diffusion flame at the centre of the pre-combustor which has remarkable effect on the combustion process in the glass melting furnace. Compared with the calculations under uniform inlet parameters, the results show that the flame becomes longer, while the temperature and the velocity become higher.