Fluid Dynamics Innovations

Fluid mechanics is an active field of research with many unsolved or partially solved problems in science and engineering. Fluid mechanics can be mathematically complex. Sometimes the problems can best be solved by numerical methods, typically using computers. With the launch of ANSYS 19, engineers will benefit greatly from continuing improvements in automation, productivity and workflows. ANSYS computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solutions include new features and functionality so engineers can solve CFD problems with more accuracy than ever before, especially for phenomena that were too difficult or time-consuming to simulate using previous methods.With the rapid depletion of high-yield copper mineral resources and the accumulation of secondary copper resources, the recycling of secondary copper is gaining popularity in the copper industry. A copper anode furnace, often used in copper recycling, usually relies on methane combustion to melt copper scraps. In this work, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of pure oxy-methane combustion is established to investigate the combustion characteristics of the CH4/O2 combustor in the copper anode furnace. The model is validated by comparing the simulation results with experimental measurements. The effects on flame length and temperature distribution are investigated under various fuel velocities, oxidizer velocities, and oxidizer temperatures. The results indicate that flame length and temperature distribution increase as the fuel velocity and oxidizer temperature increase, and decrease with the increase in oxidizer velocity. The flame length and temperature distribution always show an increasing trend with the increasing equivalence ratio. Based on the recycling capacity of the copper anode furnace, this validated CFD model can be used to optimize the operation parameters for controlling flame length and temperature distribution.