Calculation of optimum length for pyrolysis reactor

Abstract

Within the scope of sustainable development approach all over the world, waste management strategies are adopted, aiming at removing wastes from a threat in terms of environment and human health and transforming them into an input for the economy. Municipal solid waste disposal methods have long been a subject of intense debate. For years, this debate has been moving between burning waste or burying it in landfills. Recently, wastes are mostly disposed of on landfills. Until recently, the method of combustion was seen as an alternative. According to the environmentalist approach, it is being challenged to burn waste for reasons such as destroying natural resources, causing air pollution and climate change. Work on more efficient and controlled thermal processing methods has been started. The research for a better disposal method reveals the disposal of municipal solid wastes by pyrolysis method. In the pyrolysis process, organic (carbon containing) compounds are heated in an oxygen-free environment and degraded to their basic components. In this study, the mathematical model of the pyrolysis reactor was established, the mass and momentum equations for the flow in the reactor were solved, the temperature distribution in the reactor was calculated and the heat loss calculations are made. Then, finite element model of the pyrolysis reactor was established, velocity and temperature distributions in the reactor were observed after defining the necessary boundary conditions. These values were compared with the values obtained from the analytical solution. According to these values, the optimum length of the reactor was calculated taking into consideration the residence time.