Experimental investigation of volumetric heat transfer coefficient in vertical moving-bed for sinter waste heat recovery

•The volumetric heat transfer coefficient of sinter bed layer is proposed and deduced.•The experiment is conducted on a mechanical experimental setup built as a moving-bed.•The effects on volumetric heat transfer coefficient are presented graphically and analyzed.•A small-scale test vertical tank is used to modify the experiment result.•A suitable correlation in the form of volumetric heat transfer Nusselt number is determined by analyzing and comparing. To explore the heat exchange process in sinter vertical moving-bed, the formula of volumetric heat transfer coefficient is proposed and derived. Then the volumetric heat transfer coefficient is experimentally obtained based on a mechanical experimental setup. The effects on volumetric heat transfer coefficient are presented graphically and analyzed. The volumetric-based correlation in Nusselt number form is obtained by dimensionless method and regression analysis. Aiming at predicting the generality of heat transmission in vertical tank, the correlation is modified on another test vertical tank that is closer to the actual production. Through comparison with the mentioned correlations of previous literatures, the correlation of this work well fits the experimental data. By comparing the Nusselt number calculated by the correlation of this work with that from the experimental data, the relative error of the correlation is within the range of ±4.29%, showing a good prediction effect. The result provides a theoretical basis for strengthening the gas and solid heat exchange.