STEADY-STATE 3-DIMENSIONAL MATHEMATICAL-MODEL FOR CUPOLA

A three-dimensional mathematical model has been developed to simulate the gas flow, composition, and temperature profiles inside a cupola. C omparison of the model with the reported experimental data shows the p resence of a zone with low combustion rate at the tuyere level. For a 24 in (610 mm) cupola with four rows of tuyeres, the combustion zones from each tuyere overlap each other, forming an overall combustion zon e of cylindrical shape of height similar to 0.2 m. Using the model, it is found that the spout temperature initially increases with increasi ng blast velocity and attains a maximum. Further increase in blast vel ocity does not change the spout temperature. This suggests that smalle r size tuyeres and higher permeability of the bed can give superior cu pola performance. (C) 1997 The Institute of Materials.