Rotary kiln simulation

solid feed -> heated/reacted solid + evolved gas (indirect, RTD-sized)

Governing equations

The exact equations the solver works for a rotary kiln — the same math shown in the app's "Theory" panel, not a black box.

$\theta$

solids residence time [s] (Sullivan-Maynard-Valentine)

$L$

kiln length [m]

$N$

rotation speed [rev/s]

$D$

kiln diameter [m]

$S$

slope [m/m] — steeper or faster means less time to react

$T_{wall}$

heated wall temperature [K]

$T_{in}, T_{out}$

solids in/out temperature [K]

$U$

overall heat-transfer coefficient [W/m²/K]

$A$

heat-transfer area [m²]

$\dot m$

solids mass flow [kg/s]

$c_p$

solids heat capacity [J/kg/K]

$k$

Arrhenius rate constant

$A_0$

pre-exponential factor

$E_a$

activation energy [J/mol]

$R$

gas constant

$X$

conversion [0..1] — plug flow, so it depends on residence time

Parameters

wall_temperature_K [required, indirect heating/cooling utility]; length_m/diameter_m/speed_rpm/slope [kiln geometry, defaults 20/2/2/0.03 — sizes the Sullivan residence time], overall_u_w_m2k [default 15, typical indirect-kiln range 10-50]; optional reaction_component/solid_product/gas_product + activation_energy_j_mol/pre_exponential_1_s/heat_of_reaction_j_mol for a first-order Arrhenius decomposition (e.g. calcination) — omit to run as a purely thermal kiln

Example flowsheets that use it