Mathematical modeling of pyrolysis of rubber waste in horizontal cylindrical reactor

Source abstract

Recycling of cushioned rubber products is an important environmental and technical-economic issue. Among the various methods of processing such waste, one of the most effective is the pyrolysis process, since it allows us to obtain fuel and energy, and provides the possibility of secondary use of carbon black and metal. Mathematical modeling of this process is necessary to solve problems of optimization and automated control. Thus, the purpose of this study is to simulate the pyrolysis process in a horizontal cylindrical batch reactor, which is currently becoming increasingly widespread. To mathematically describe the process, a model with distributed parameters is used in the form of a two-dimensional thermal conductivity equation and a system of equations of chemical kinetics of polymer thermal destruction reactions. The problem is solved numerically using the finite element method. As a result of the numerical solution of the equations of the mathematical model, non-stationary distributions of temperature and degree of conversion over the cross section of the reactor with non-uniform filling have been obtained. The authors have studied the kinetics of the reaction of polymer thermal destruction in reactors of different diameters. The results obtained can be used to predict the kinetics of material destruction under given reactor heating conditions, which can be useful when we design reactors and automate pyrolysis process control.