Proposta de metodologia para simulação dinâmica do processo de gaseificação contracorrente utilizando softwares livres

Abstract

The gasification process, whose application began in the late 17th century, has been continuously studied and developed to this day. Despite significant advances, the inherent complexity of the process means that it remains widely researched, with its primary current focus being its use for green energy production by utilizing solid waste as a raw material, offering a potential solution for waste management. Given the need to study and optimize the process, this work proposes a methodology to simulate gasification in a countercurrent reactor, as well as the dynamic simulation of particle descent during reactor feeding. The proposed methodology employs the discrete element method (DEM) to describe solids and the finite volume method (FVM) to describe gases. Additionally, equations for energy, momentum, and mass balance, as well as reaction kinetics and chemistry, are presented. To simulate the feeding and descent of raw material particles in the reactor, the Blender software was used for graphical visualization, along with a Python script integrated into the software. The simulation results were satisfactory, demonstrating the approach’s potential as a valuable tool for both industry and academia in process analysis and optimization, while also leaving room for future research or new studies.