Simulación CFD del comportamiento y dinámico de una partícula de Biomasa Lignocelulosica durante el proceso de secado

Abstract

CONDITION FOR PUBLICATION OF PROJECT. This research project develops and validates a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation model to characterize the thermal and dynamic behavior of the lignocellulosic biomass (yellow guayacan) drying process. The study addresses the need to technologically optimize drying processes in the CDTS laboratory, using a numerical approach to understand the transport phenomena that occur at the individual particle level. The methodology was based on the use of Ansys Fluent software under a multiphase Eulerian-Eulerian model. A prismatic geometry (100𝑥10𝑥5 𝑚𝑚) was designed that allowed for structured orthogonal discretisation, ensuring the stability of the solution in the face of common irregularities in spherical models. Transient simulations were performed under boundary conditions of 60°𝐶 and 0.5 𝑚𝑠⁄, evaluating the evolution of the velocity, temperature and moisture fraction fields. The results demonstrate that drying kinetics are governed by internal diffusion, where the low thermal conductivity of the material (0.15 𝑊𝑚·𝐾⁄) acts as the main limiting factor for the evaporation of bound water. Spatial analysis identified that the formation of the boundary layer and the wake zone induce asymmetric heat transfer on the surface of the chip. The model was validated by comparing it with experimental data from a massive load (León-Chamba, 2024), obtaining a coefficient of determination 𝑅2= 0.6295. Despite the inherent bias in scaling, the simulation accurately replicated the mass loss slope during the decreasing velocity period. In conclusion, the developed model constitutes a robust digital tool for predicting the thermodynamic behavior of biomass. The findings enable parametric studies to be carried out that reduce the need for costly experimental testing, facilitating the design of more efficient drying strategies based on precise control of temperature and air flow velocity. Keywords: Lignocellulosic biomass, CFD simulation, drying kinetics, heat and mass transfer