Energy Analysis of the Desorption Process in Reactors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70567/mc.v42.ocsid8547Keywords:
Thermal Desorption, Drying of Porous Materials, Thermal Modeling with Finite Elements, Automatic Mesh Generation, Geometric OptimizationAbstract
Thermal desorption is a soil remediation technology that uses heat to separate volatile and semi-volatile contaminants present in soils, sludges, and sediments. It is classified as a physical, nondestructive separation process. The procedure involves heating the contaminated material in a thermal desorber, causing the contaminants to evaporate. These vapors are subsequently captured and treated, while the decontaminated soil can be reused, commonly as backfill material. To optimize this process, it is essential that the thermal model accurately represents the heat transfer mechanisms, enabling the prediction of temperature distribution within the soil and the efficiency of contaminant vaporization. This study analyzes the characteristic dimensions of the equipment in order to estimate the treatment time. Design curves are obtained to properly size the thermal resistances and determine their optimal arrangement.
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