Post Processing Approach to Model Microsilica Formation

Abstract

In this work an OpenFOAM-based framework to simulate the evolution of microsilica, which is an important byproduct in the silicon/ferrosilicon industries, is proposed. The framework decouples the combustion reaction of CO and SiO from the microsilica generation based on the assumption that the combustion occurs in an oxygen rich environment - SiO generated by combustion is much larger than its depletion due to particle evolution. The combustion of the reactants in the furnace hood is performed using rhoReactingBuoyantFoam, and its results are used as input to a population balance solver that simulates the particle nucleation and growth (due to mass transfer onto the particle surface) as well as depletion of SiO. The framework predicts particles of size around 30 nm at the outlet which is approximately in the smaller sizes of the particles observed in microsilica during experiments reported in literature.