• CFD Modelling Workshop Described

    Date posted:

    • Post Author

      Neil Fricker

Conceptual outline of the workshop

The objective of the workshop is to establish how the IFRF can support the development and deployment of Combustion Modelling Techniques for its Members.  As such the outcomes will include:

  • Recommendations for CFD benchmarking activities within the  IFRF Members Research Programme and
  • Proposing a vehicle to allow Members to participate directly in the new Members Research Programme, “Validation of Combustion  Modelling”

Background to the workshop

The IFRF was founded in 1950 to fill a gap in the (then) modelling capabilities relating to combustion and heat transfer in industrial furnaces. At the time, the gap related to the difficulty of modelling soot formation, consumption and radiation in flames. The solution proposed was to develop empirical relationships based on semi-industrial scale measurements.

By the mid 1960’s, the original task remained a challenge and it was broadened to include the need to model mixing, combustion and heat transfer in pulverised coal flames. This led to the following proposal from AFRC’s Professor Hoyt Hottel: (extracts)

“Every study sponsored by the IFRF should be designed with the ultimate aim of obtaining results the quantitative significance of which to the prospective furnace designer or operator can be determined; the proof of whether this objective has been accomplished consists in the answer ‘yes’ to the following two questions:

  • Does the study yield a qualitative relation (an equation, graph or table of numbers) in a form ready to be put into a computer program which predicts the performance characteristics of a furnace as a function of its operating and design variables?
  • When the programme is used, does the new input lead to a correct prediction of performance in enough test cases to give confidence in the method?

If, when data from a new IFRF study are put into the model, there is a need to modify other parts of the programme to maintain agreement between model predictions and IJmuiden furnace tests, we have an indication of previous incompleteness or lack of generality of the model.”

During the 1980’s and 1990’s, part of the IFRF’s work addressed Professor Hottel’s aims. Progress was made in using furnace and reactor data to establish and validate combustion sub-models for CFD codes.

At the present time, challenges still exist in the ability to model mixing, combustion and heat transfer in industrial furnaces. Validation of Combustion Models was the highest ranking of five Members Research Programme topics proposed to IFRF Members in 2006.  ….and the range of fuels of interest to IFRF’s industrial members continues to grow

Questions to be addressed by the workshop

  • What are the principal challenges and opportunities facing:
    • Developers of CFD models?
    • Those using CFD models to simulate industrial heating processes?
    • Furnace operators and designers?
  • What should be the aims/scope of the IFRF CFD Benchmarking activity?
  • What specific help do modellers need from those measuring fuel combustion characterisation data?  (refer to the previous MNM article describing the solid fuels database – http://www.mnm.ifrf.net/mnm/article.html?aid=619)
  • How should the IFRF involve its Members in taking things forward?

Structure of the workshop

 10.00 to 10 20  Plenary introduction
10.30 to 11.30  Background information
State of play of combustion modelling
The IFRF’s past achievements in CFD Modelling
The IFRF’s Current Combustion Modelling Research activity
Industrial perspectives (panel)
11.30 to 12.10  Discussion of the questions
12.20 to 12.30  Raporteur’s summary
12.30 to 13.00  Plenary presentation by Workshop Chairman