Influence of Wall Angle of Direct Reduction Shaft Furnace on Particle Flow Pattern by DEM Modeling

The shape of shaft furnace is a crucial feature of direct reduction processes, as it affects both particle and gas flow during production. However, current knowledge on the impact of furnace shape on particle flow is limited. Herein, the discrete element method is employed for numerical simulations, in which two different methods of varying the wall angle (i.e., changing the radius or the height) are utilized to investigate the effect of wall angle on the flow behavior of particles in a shaft furnace. The effect of wall angle under different combinations of radius and height on the transformation of the particle flow pattern is innovatively examined, compared to previous studies on charging particles and internal furnace conditions. It is demonstrated in the results that the wall angle of the shaft furnace has a significant influence on the transformation of particle flow mode, with a reduction in the wall angle facilitating the transformation of particle flow mode to mass flow. Furthermore, it is shown in the study that different methods of changing the wall angle have varying effects on the transformation of particle flow mode.