Mathematical Modeling of Pulse Combustion and It's applications to innovative thermal drying techniques

Abstract

The aim of this study is to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the mechanism of pulse combustion (PC) and its application potential in novel drying processes. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was developed and used for parametric studies of a mechanical-valved pulse combustor to understand the dynamics of the flame structure, flow-chemistry interaction and the pulsating flow characteristics. PC-based impinging jet drying of paper sheets, spray drying of suspensions and spouted bed drying of particles were also investigated experimentally and numerically to evaluate drying performance. It was found that PC not only accelerates drying rates because of increased heat and mass transfer but also allows processing of various types of materials, e.g. sheets and agglomerated solids in a dispersed state. This study contributes to a fundamental understanding of PC as well as PC-assisted drying processes for the development of novel dryer designs