CFD Analysis of a Crucible Furnace Using Recycled PET as Fuel for Smelting Non-ferrous Metals

Abstract

The increasing accumulation of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) presents serious environmental problems, prompting the scientific community to develop waste management strategies. Despite the efforts, traditional mechanical recycling methods for PET face numerous limitations, leading to the exploration of alternative recycling approaches. Research has focused on exploring techniques such as PET combustion, but it has resulted in a complex process due to each plastics reacting differently when exposed to heat. A major advantage of quaternary recycling of PET is reducing the mass of solid by 70 % and can generate 475.73 kJ/kg of energy. This article presents a numerical study of a crucible furnace for non-ferrous metal smelting, fueled by methane-air and ground PET. The combustion is conducted under controlled conditions. A hydrodynamic analysis is performed by analyzing the pressure contours, velocity contours, and pathlines in the combustion chamber. A thermal and chemical study is also performed, analyzing temperature profiles and predicting flue gas emissions. The results show that the turbulence model used predicted eddy formation. The average temperature in the combustion chamber was 900 K, and species analysis at the furnace outlet indicates that this method is a sustainable and effective solution for waste plastic management.