The dynamic model of pulverized coal and waste plastic bonded together in flight combustion process

A mathematical model was established which describes the co-combustion of pulverized coal (PC) and polyethylene particles (PEP) in this study. The model was designed to be incorporated into an overall model simulating PC and PEP process. The combustion model of PC and PEP takes into account the principal physical and chemical phenomena occurring during the pyrolysis and combustion of PC and PEP blend combustion, namely, mass transfer toward and exterior the grain, volatile combustion of PC and PEP, combustion of fixed carbon. Particular care has been taken in the determination of the thermophysical and kinetic parameters necessary for the model. Thus the pyrolysis and combustion kinetics for PC and PEP were determined by thermogravimetry. In order to simulate the flight co-combustion process of PC and PEP blend, the true conversion rates during combustion process of PC and PEP were measured as a function of temperature. The numerical model, calculates the temperature, composition, and mass flow rates of the PC and particles evolved at each point in the grain at any instant of time. In the end, the combustion model has proved to be valid by the comparison between calculated and measured data of the co-combustion process of PC and PEP.