CFD Process Modeling of the Industrial Calcination of Diatomite

Calcination of diatomite is an expensive process frequently resulting in products with unpredictable structure. Alternatively, calcination in swirling flow is an energy‐saving option. Computational fluid dynamics modeling of an experimental calcination process unit is presented. Experimental results and systematic collection of process data were used to define boundary condition for steady‐state and transient simulation runs. The comparison of experimental and simulation results shows the complexity of the calcination process. The results can be used for further process optimization.