Two Numerical Approaches – Explicit Finite Difference and Finite Control Volume for Modelling Reduction in Coal-Iron Ore Composite Pellets Under Axisymmetric Heating – a Comparative Study

Abstract

A two-dimensional mathematical model of the reduction process in iron ore – coal composite pellet under axisymmetric heating is presented. Two numerical methods, explicit finite difference and finite control volume, for simulation of this model were developed and compared. The methods give very similar results. The explicit finite difference method is easier to impliment and modify. However, the control volume technique takes significantly less computation time than the explicit finite difference method for the same degree of accuracy. The results clearly show that direct reduction in composite pellets under axisymmetric heating should be modelled as a 2-D process.