Analysis of steam flow behavior in packed bed of coal particles

The steam outflow rate and temperature distribution in a packed bed of coal particles were measured and compared with the results of a numerical analysis in order to determine the steam flow behavior in a coke oven chamber. The moisture-controlled and size-graded pulverized coal particles were packed in a cylindrical stainless steel vessel with steam flow pipes at both ends of the vessel. The upper end of the vessel was heated from 293 K to 653 K with a constant heating rate of 3 K/min and maintained at 653 K. The unsteady heat conduction equation in the solid phase and the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations in the gas phase were solved simultaneously. The condensed water in the bed is assumed to be static and a part of the solid phase under the assumption of local thermal equilibrium.