Application of Discrete Particle Simulation to a Transfer Chute
BlueScope Steel’s No. 6 Blast Furnace stock house screens sinter before it is charged to the blast furnace and the undersize material falling from the screen deck is directed into conveyor belts by the small sinter chute. When the chute is operated at high flowrates, significant spillage and associated clean-up costs are incurred. In order to develop better understanding of the flow pattern within the chute, the sinter flow was studied using Discrete Particle Simulation (DPS). DPS parameters such as rolling friction and coefficient of restitution were determined from laboratory scale experiments with the overall flow pattern was validated against plant measurements. The analysis revealed that increasing mass flow rate of small sinter caused a re-distribution of particle flow, consistent with off-centre belt loading and increased spillage, and predicted a high wear zone within the chute outlet, consistent with plant observations.