3D Numerical Simulation in Combustion Space of an Oxy-fuel Glass Furnace

Abstract

In glass manufacturing, oxy-fuel combustion is a new technology. In design of oxy-fuel glass furnace, the numerical simulation and virtual reality techniques have become necessary tools. In this paper, the numerical simulation in the combustion space of a designed oxy-fuel glass furnace was carried out with the results displayed by the virtual reality technology. The gas phase was expressed with k-ε two-equation model; the combustion was described with non-premixed model; the radiation was expressed with discrete ordinates radiation model. The results of simulation agree well with the related reference, showing that the flame from each burner is individual and similar, and most fuel streams combust adequately with high temperature except that from the burner 1, which is suggested to be moved to other place. What we learned from the simulation results can give direct insight in the combustion space of the furnace, and can be used to guide the design of the oxy-fuel glass furnace.