Application of CFD-DEM method in modeling of wood combustion in a fixed bed

Abstract

In this study, a numerical simulation of wood burning in a biomass stove is presented. The main aim was to test the suitability of Computational Fluid Dynamics – Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) approach in predicting temperature distribution and species generation in a fixed bed applicable in small-scale biomass stoves. A commercial software code STAR CCM+ was used to simulate combustion of eucalyptus wood under air-fuel condition. Wood burning in a fixed bed was simulated using Lagrange-Euler method, where gas-phase was calculated using computational fluid dynamics while solid-phase was tracked in Lagrange approach. Modeling was validated by comparison with measured data. A good agreement between model and measured data was achieved. Therefore, the CFD-DEM method is a good tool in design and optimization of new combustion equipment.