Orientador: Maria Regina Wolf Maciel / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T16:55:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fregolente_LeonardoVasconcelos_D.pdf: 1867297 bytes, checksum: 6a22c8c7c525474c0864d4df237dce16 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Neste trabalho, a técnica de planejamento de experimentos foi aplicada em diferentes estudos de otimização realizados na Refinaria de Paulínia (Replan). O trabalho abrange aplicações da técnica em escala laboratorial, em ferramenta computacional, até a utilização da técnica em diferentes plantas industriais. Os estudos de laboratórios consistiram na avaliação da dependência da lubricidade do diesel metropolitano em relação à sua composição e no desenvolvimento de uma nova metodologia para determinação do ponto de fulgor de frações leves de petróleo. Através de planejamentos fatoriais aplicados a um simulador do processo de coqueamento retardado (denominado DC-SIM), foram geradas equações polinomiais simples para a previsão de rendimentos dos produtos da unidade em sua etapa reacional. Utilizando estas equações, curvas de nível foram obtidas, as quais auxiliam na análise do comportamento da unidade frente a modificações nas condições de operação. Duas aplicações consistiram na realização de testes em plantas industriais. Primeiramente, utilizando planejamentos em dois níveis, foram levantados novos modelos para o controle avançado de uma torre de fracionamento de naftas através da realização de testes de identificação utilizando perturbações em degrau. A metodologia de planejamento de experimentos possibilitou uma análise multivariável do sistema. Finalmente, foram realizados experimentos seguindo planejamentos com configuração estrela para a maximização da recuperação de moléculas na faixa de destilação do GLP nas áreas de fracionamento de gases das duas unidades de coqueamento retardado da Replan. Por se tratar da maior refinaria de petróleo do país, sendo responsável por cerca de 20% da capacidade de refino no Brasil, a utilização de planejamentos fatoriais foi de fundamental importância para a viabilização de alguns testes em planta, já que reduz significativamente o número de experimentos necessários quando comparada à metodologia de avaliação de um fator por vez. Desta forma, o impacto dos testes na produção de derivados foi minimizado. Além disso, os resultados obtidos propiciaram um ganho econômico expressivo para a refinaria. / Abstract: In this work, experimental design technique was applied to different optimization studies, which were carried out in the Paulínia Refinery (Replan). The work covers applications of the technique in laboratorial scale, in computational tool, and the use of the technique in different industrial plants. The laboratory studies consisted in the evaluation of the dependence of the metropolitan diesel oil lubricity in relation to its composition and in the development of a new methodology to determine the flash point of light fractions of petroleum. Through factorial designs applied to a delayed coke simulator (named DC-SIM), simple polynomial equations were generated to predict the products yields of the unit in the reaction step. Using these equations, contour plots were obtained, which helped the analysis of the process response due to changes in the operating conditions. Two applications were done in industrial plants. First, using two level factorial designs, new models were adjusted to be used in the advanced control of a naphtha fractionation tower. The identification tests were carried out giving step disturbance in the manipulated variables. The experimental design methodology allowed a multivariable analysis of the system. Finally, experiments were done according to star configuration factorial designs in order to maximize the recovery of LPG molecules in the gases fractionating units of two delayed coke plants of Replan. Since Replan is the biggest oil refinery in Brazil, responsible for 20% of the national refining capacity, the use of factorial designs had a fundamental importance to allow the running of some tests in the plant. It reduces significantly the number of experiments, when it is compared to univariate methodology. Therefore, the impact of the tests in the production was minimized. Furthermore, the results provided very expressive financial earns / Doutorado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Doutor em Engenharia Química

Orientador: Rubens Maciel Filho / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T20:26:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RamirezHernandez_MonicaRocio_M.pdf: 1944205 bytes, checksum: 84f7c13a59eeccf1f35ecf94dc3a2b79 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: A necessidade que a indústria do petróleo tem de suprir a demanda de produtos leves do mercado embora esteja ocorrendo uma diminuição nas reservas de óleos leves e o fato de que a rentabilidade do processo de refino esteja representada na capacidade de obtenção destes derivados leves, faz com que sejam aplicadas tecnologias de "upgrading" dos óleos crus. Diante deste contexto torna-se necessário desenvolver metodologias que permitam simular os fenômenos que ocorrem nestes processos, para deste modo poder avaliar o comportamento das cargas na unidade e desenvolver, a partir destas predições, políticas operacionais com o objetivo de evitar impactos desfavoráveis nos produtos finais, nas unidades de processo e na rentabilidade. Entre as tecnologias de "upgrading" encontram-se desasfaltação com solventes, hidrotratamento, hidroconversão, viscorredução, coqueamento retardado entre outras. No entanto, existe grande preferência na utilização destas duas últimas tecnologias, sendo as mais econômicas e que requerem menor investimento. Com a finalidade de prever situações operacionais foi desenvolvido um simulador, dos processos de coqueamento retardado e viscorredução, que permite predizer os rendimentos de leves gerados no forno tanto em escala piloto como em escala industrial, em função das características da carga e conversão. Além disso, o simulador possibilita o cálculo das constantes cinéticas que descrevem a formação dos destilados, do intermediário (etapa pré-coque), e do coque. A importância de desenvolver estes simuladores para este equipamento se deve ao fato de que os mesmos são encarregados de fornecer as temperaturas necessárias para atingir as reações de craqueamento térmico. Neste processo de aquecimento ocorre a deposição dos asfaltenos, os precursores do coque, os quais ao longo da operação da unidade vão-se depositando sobre os tubos do forno. Com o intuito de controlar o pressionamento gerado pela deposição do coque e a diminuição na transferência de calor é necessário realizar reduções na temperatura de operação, ocasionando menores conversões. Deste modo, é importante definir políticas operacionais que possibilitem bons rendimentos, rentabilidade e tempo de operação da unidade os maiores possíveis. Com os resultados obtidos com os simuladores desenvolvidos pode-se predizer o comportamento das unidades com relação a temperatura de operação, pressionamentos, temperatura de parede, conversão, constantes cinéticas e parâmetros da equação de Arrhenius. Isto possibilita a análise operacional destas unidades de craqueamento quando for alterada a carga e condições operacionais do forno. / Abstract: The obligation that petroleum industry has to supply the market demand for light products, although exists a decrease in light oil reserves and the fact that the refining process profitability is represented by the ability to obtain these lighter products. Against this context is necessary the application of crude oil "upgranding" technologies and methodologies development to simulate the phenomena occurring in these processes, in order to evaluate the feed behavior at the unit and based on predictions, set operational politics with the objective to avoid negative impacts in the final products, unit processes and its profitability. Among the "upgranding" technologies are solvent deasphalting, hydrotreating, hydroconversion, visbreaking, delayed coking and others, however, there is a strong preference in using the last two technologies, being the most economical and requires less investment. With the aim to anticipate operational situations was developed a simulator that can predict the light products yields generated at the furnace, at pilot and industrial units of delayed coking and visbreaking, depending on the feed characteristics and conversion, it also calculates the kinetic constants that describes the rate formation of distillates, intermediate (pre-coke stage), and coke. The importance of developing such simulators for this equipment lies that this is the responsible of providing the temperature necessary to achieve the thermal cracking reactions. In the heating process occurs the asphaltene deposition, the coke precursors, which along the unit operation will be deposited on the furnace tubes. In order to control the pressing generated by the coke and the decrease in heat transfer is needed reductions in operating temperature, causing lower conversions. Thus, is important define operational politics that allows good yields, profitability and run lengths the greatest possible. With the obtained results through the simulators, can be known in advanced the unit behavior as operation temperature, drop pressure, wall temperature, conversion, kinetic constants and parameters of Arrhenius equation, which will facilitate the operational analysis of thermal cracking units when is change for example, feed and operational variables . / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Orientador: Caio Glauco Sánchez / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T08:46:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Costa_LucasFerrarideCarvalho_M.pdf: 3999968 bytes, checksum: 7756a52a0e0727ae5b7f9d138e57ef02 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: A pirólise rápida é um processo aplicado a biomassa com o intuito de densifica-la energeticamente, os produtos resultantes são, gases, carvão e principalmente bio-óleo. O bio-óleo pode servir como matéria prima para as biorrefinarias e pode ser transformado em gás de síntese através da degradação térmica a altas temperaturas com a presença ou não de agente oxidante externo, gaseificação e pirólise respectivamente. Durante estes processos podem ocorrer reações de polimerização formando coque no interior do reator. O processo de formação de coque ainda é pouco conhecido. O coque pode entupir o reator e/ou desativar catalizadores que estejam no processo. Tem-se como objetivo neste trabalho estudar a pirólise do bio-óleo e diminuir a formação de coque na reação através da destilação prévia do composto a uma temperatura de 260 ºC, pois a partir desta temperatura não ocorre mais a formação de vapores. As amostras da pirólise a 700 ºC em um reator de fluxo arrastado do bio-óleo integral (BPL) e do bio-óleo destilado (BPLD) foram comparadas com testes estatístico t-student em relação a formação de coque, balanço de massas, composição gasosa e poder calorífico do gás produzido. O resultado da pirólise dos bio-óleos foi a não formação de coque no interior do reator quando utilizado o BPLD. O gás resultante da pirólise do BPLD teve um poder colorífico inferior (PCI) de 8,3 ± 0,6 MJ/Nm3, e o gás resultante da pirólise do BPL teve um PCI = 6,1 ± 0,7 MJ/Nm3. O balanço de massas indicou que a formação de gases é estatisticamente igual nos dois processos para um significância ? = 5%. Assim é possível afirmar que a produção de coque foi nula para a pirólise do BPLD. A quantidade de gás gerada pelos processos foi equivalente e o poder calorifico do gás resultante do BPLD é maior que o gás resultante da pirólise do BPL / Abstract: The fast pyrolysis is a process applied to densifies the biomass, the resulting products are gas, char and mainly bio-oil. The bio-oil can serve as raw material for bio-refineries and can be transformed into syngas by thermal degradation at high temperatures with the presence of oxidizing agent, in a process called gasification, or without external oxidizing agent, in a process called pyrolysis. During these processes, polymerization reactions can occur forming coke inside the reactor. The formation of coke is a process still unknown. The coke can clog the reactor and/or disable catalysts of the process. Study the pyrolysis of the bio-oil and reduce the formation of coke through the distillation of the bio-oil at temperatures above 260 ºC is the objective of this work. Samples from pyrolysis at 700 ° C in an entrained flow reactor of full bio-oil (BPL) and the bio-oil distillate (BPLD) were compared with t-student statistical tests for coke formation, mass balance, composition of gas and gas calorific value. The result of pyrolysis of the bio-oils was no coking within the reactor when using the BPLD. The lower heat value (LHV) of the gas resulting from pyrolysis of BPLD was 8,3 ± 0,6 MJ/Nm3, and the gas resulting from the pyrolysis of BPL was 6,1 ± 0,7 MJ/Nm3. The mass balance indicated that gas formation is statistically equal in the two cases for a significance level ? = 5 %. It is possible to affirm that the production of coke was null for the pyrolysis of BPLD. The amount of gas generated by the process was equivalent and the heat value of the gas resulting from the pyrolysis of BPLD is greater than the gas resulting from pyrolysis of BPL / Mestrado / Termica e Fluidos / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Lyndon Johnson's opponents used the outcome of his 1948 senatorial bid to demonstrate his dishonesty. This win by eighty-seven disputed votes gave him the derogatory title, "Landslide Lyndon." Johnson's initial senate campaigns in 1941 and 1948 are examined for Texas Politics as usual. Upon Senator Sheppard's death in 1937, a special election precipitated with Martin Dies, Gerald Mann, Lyndon Johnson, and W. Lee O'Daniel as the candidates. Although this election has not received the notoriety of 1948, it exemplifies Texas Politics as usual where thousands of manipulated votes resulted in O'Daniel's late victory. Johnson's next race for the senate came in 1948. He ran against George Peddy and Coke Stevenson. This expensive campaign rested upon two hundred two invalid votes from Jim Wells County. In reality, tens of thousands of manipulated votes on both sides resulted in litigation making its way to the United States Supreme Court.

This work produced the retrofit of an air-fired, 150 kW reactor for oxy-combustion which was then used in three oxy-combustion studies: strategic oxy-combustion design, oxy-combustion of petroleum coke, and air versus oxy-combustion radiative heat flux measurements. The oxy-combustion retrofit was accomplished using a system of mass flow controllers and automated pressure switches which allowed safe and convenient operation. The system was used successfully in the three studies reported here and was also used in an unrelated study. A study was completed where a novel high oxygen participation burner was investigated for performance while burning coal related to flame stability, NO, and burnout using a burner supplied by Air Liquide. Parameters investigated included oxygen (O2) injection location, burner swirl number and secondary carbon dioxide (CO2) flow rate. The data showed swirl can be used to stabilize the flame while reducing NO and improving burnout. Center O2 injection helped to stabilize the flame but increased NO formation and decreased burnout by reducing particle residence time. Additional CO2 flow lifted the flame and increased NO but was beneficial for burnout. High O2 concentrations up to 100% in the secondary were accomplished without damage to the burner. Petroleum coke was successfully burned using the Air Liquide burner. Swirl of the secondary air and O2 injection into the center tube of the burner were needed to stabilize the flame. Trends in the data similar to those reported for the coal study are apparent. Axial total radiant intensity profiles were obtained for air combustion and three oxy-combustion operating conditions that used hot recycled flue gas in the secondary stream. The oxygen concentration of the oxidizer stream was increased from 25 to 35% O2 by decreasing the flow rate of recycled flue gas. The decrease in secondary flow rate decreased the secondary velocity, overall swirl, and mixing which elongated the flame. Changing from air to neat CO2 as the coal carrier gas also decreased premixing which elongated the flame. Flame elongation caused increased total heat transfer from the flame. The air flame was short and had a higher intensity near the burner, while high O2 concentration conditions produced lower intensities near the burner but higher intensities and temperatures farther downstream. It was shown that oxycombustion can change flame shape, temperature and soot concentration all influencing heat transfer. Differences in gas emission appear negligible in comparison to changes in particle emission.

The price and accessibility of fossil fuels, especially crude oil, are subject to considerable fluctuations due to growing demand on energy, limited resources, and energy security concerns. In addition, climate change caused by burning of fossil fuels is a challenge that energy sector is currently facing. These challenges incentivize development of alternative processes with no greenhouse gas emissions that can meet transportation fuels, chemical liquids, and electricity demands. Coal-based processes are of particular interest because coal price is both low and stable. However, these processes have a large environmental impact and are also less economically attractive than natural gas based plants due to the recent significant drop in natural gas price. However, even for natural gas plants, attempts to reduce CO2 emissions by using traditional CO2 capture and sequestration technologies not only decrease the thermal efficiency and profitability of the plant significantly but still release some CO2 to the atmosphere. The aim of this thesis is to develop, simulate and optimize an integrated polygeneration plant that uses multiple feedstocks and produces multiple products with low to zero CO2 emissions. Several process alternatives are investigated in this work to show the effect of each feedstock and product on the performance of the proposed plant. A comprehensive study is performed in each section, including process simulation in Aspen Plus software, development of custom models required for some units, as well as cost analysis by using Aspen Icarus software and empirical cost estimations from literature. Moreover, derivative free optimization techniques such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA) and simulated annealing (SA) are implemented to drive the design to economically optimum conditions as a function of the market price and carbon taxes. The final model will also introduce emerging technologies that can achieve higher efficiency and lower CO2 emissions compared to commercial systems, such as chemical looping gasification, chemical looping combustion, nuclear heat reforming, etc. By integrating multiple feedstocks and processes, the model can exploit certain synergies which are unavailable to traditional plants, resulting in significant efficiency improvements. In addition to power and liquid fuels, this polygeneration process offers benefits for petrochemical plants. Despite limited worldwide crude oil reserves, the demand for petrochemical products is still growing fast and it is highly important for petrochemical industry to find new resources as feedstock and diversify their supply chain network. By integration of the polygeneration plant in the same facility with novel processes that produce olefins (petrochemical feedstock) not from oil, but from syngas, it is possible to supply the required feed at lower cost than commercial steam cracking plants. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

yes / Heavy petroleum industries, including the Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit, are among some of the biggest contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The FCC unit’s regenerator is where these emissions originate mostly, meaning the operation of FCC regenerators has come under scrutiny in recent years due to the global mitigation efforts against climate change, affecting both current operations and the future of the FCC unit. As a result, it is more important than ever to develop models that are accurate and reliable at predicting emissions of various greenhouse gases to keep up with new reporting guidelines that will help optimise the unit for increased coke conversion and lower operating costs. Part 1 of this paper was dedicated to reviewing the riser section of the FCC unit. Part 2 reviews traditional modelling methodologies used in modelling and simulating the FCC regenerator. Hydrodynamics and kinetics of the regenerator are discussed in terms of experimental data and modelling. Modelling of constitutive parts that are important to the FCC unit, such as gas–solid cyclones and catalyst transport lines, are also considered. This review then identifies areas where the current generation of models of the regenerator can be improved for the future. Parts 1 and 2 are such that a comprehensive review of the literature on modelling the FCC unit is presented, showing the guidance and framework followed in building models for the unit.

La production mondiale d’aluminium, produit via le procédé Hall Héroult, est actuellement autour de 60000 tonnes annuellement. Ce procédé a principalement conservé le concept original développé en 1886. Les anodes de carbone précuites utlisées dans ce procédé représentent une part importante du design des cellules d’électrolyse de l’aluminium. Les anodes font partie de la réaction chimique de la réduction de l’alumine et sont consommées lors du processus d’électrolyse. De ce fait, le niveau de consommation et la qualité des anodes ont un effet direct sur la performance des alumineries dans le marché extrêmement compétitif de la production d’aluminium. Bien que le processus et le design des anodes datent de 130 ans, l’effet des propriétés des matières premières sur la qualité finale des anodes n’est pas tout à fait maîtrisé, nécessitant ainsi des recherches approfondies. Les anodes de carbone sont composées de particules de coke, de pitch et de mégots d’anodes. Le pitch à la température de mélange et de formage est un liquide. Par conséquent, le mélange est une pâte de coke et des agrégats de mégots et pitch agissant comme liant. Le comportement de l'écoulement et du compactage de ce mélange en raison de la coexistence d'une variété de paramètres physiques, chimiques et mécaniques sont des phénomènes complexes. Compte tenu de l'importance des anodes de haute qualité et de longue durée en performance et donc l'économie des cellules de réduction, sous-estimer et prédire les propriétés finales des anodes sont très importantes pour les fonderies. La modélisation numérique dans des problèmes aussi complexes peut fournir un laboratoire virtuel où les effets de différents paramètres de processus ou des matériaux sur la qualité de l'anode peuvent être étudiés sans risquer la performance du pot. Toutefois, le choix de la méthode numérique est une décision critique qui doit être prise en fonction de la physique du problème et de l'échelle géométrique des problèmes étudiés. La méthode des éléments discrets (DEM) est utilisée dans ce travail de recherche pour modéliser les deux phases de la pâte d’anode; les agrégats de coke et le brai de pétrole. Dans cette partie du travail, les modèles DEM d’agrégats de coke sont utilisés pour simuler les tests de densité en vrac vibrée des particules de coke et pour révéler les paramètres impliqués. De par sa nature, la DEM est idéale pour étudier les contacts entre particules. Les résultats de ces travaux seront ensuite utilisés pour proposer de nouvelles recettes d’agrégats secs avec une densité en vrac supérieure. La résistivité électrique de lits de particules a été mesurée expérimentalement. Les informations sur les contacts entre particules obtenues à partir des modèles numériques ont été utilisées pour expliquer la résistivité électrique de lits de particules avec différentes distribution de tailles de particules. Les résultats ont montré que lorsque le nombre de contacts par unité de volume augmente dans un échantillon, la résistivité électrique augmente aussi. La densité compactée du lit de particules a aussi une influence sur le passage de courant dans les matériaux granulaires. D’après les résultats obtenus, conserver la densité de contacts aussi basse que possible est bénéfique pour la conductivité électrique s’il n’a pas d’impact négatif sur la densité compactée. Le brai de houille est un matériau viscoélastique à température élevée. Dans ce travail, les propriétés rhéologiques du brai et de la matrice liante (brai + particules fines de coke) ont été mesurées expérimentalement en utilisant un rhéomètre à cisaillement dynamique à 135, 140 145 et 150 °C. Le modèle de Burger à quatre éléments est alors utilisé pour modéliser le comportement mécanique du brai à 150 °C. Le modèle vérifié est alors utilisé pour étudier les propriétés rhéologiques du brai et du mélange coke /brai à 150 °C. Le modèle de Burger calibré démontre une bonne prédiction des propriétés viscoélastiques du brai et de la matrice liante à différentes températures. Les résultats obtenus montrent que, considérant la physique du problème, la méthode des éléments distincts est une technique de simulation numérique adaptée pour étudier les effets des matières premières sur les propriétés mécaniques et physiques des mélanges coke /brai. / Global aluminum production now is around 60 000 metric tonnes, annually, which is produced by the Hall-Héroult process. The process has mostly kept the original concept developed in 1886. Pre-baked carbon anodes are an important part of the design of aluminum smelting cells. Anodes are part of the chemical reaction of alumina reduction and are consumed during the process. Thus, quality and properties of anodes have direct effects on the performance and economy of the aluminum production in today’s highly competitive market. Although the design of anodes goes back to 130 years ago, effects of raw materials properties on final quality of anodes still need to be investigated. Anodes are composed of granulated calcined coke, binder pitch and recycled anode butts. Pitch at temperatures of mixing and forming steps is a liquid. Hence the mixture is a paste of coke and butts aggregates with pitch acting as binder. Flow and compaction behavior of this mixture, because of the co-existence of a variety of physical, chemical and mechanical parameters are complicated phenomena. Given the importance of high quality and long lasting anodes in performance and so the economy of the reduction cells, understating and predicting the final properties of anodes are very important for smelters. Numerical modeling in such complicated problems can provide a virtual laboratory where effects of different materials or process parameters on anode quality index can be studied without risking the pot performance. However, the choice of the numerical framework is a critical decision which needs to be taken according to the physics of the problem and the geometrical scale of the investigated problems. Discrete Element Method (DEM) is used in this research work to model the anode paste. In the first step, DEM models of coke aggregates are used to simulate the vibrated bulk density test of coke particles and to reveal the parameters involved. As a micromechanical model, DEM provides a unique opportunity to investigate the particle-particle contacts. The developed DEM models of coke aggregates were then used to propose a new dry aggregates recipe exhibiting higher packing density. Packing density of coke aggregates has direct effect on the baked density of anodes. High density is a very favorable anode quality index as it has positive effects on mechanical strength, and consumption rate of anodes in the cell. Electrical resistivity of bed of particles was experimentally measured. Particle-particle contacts information obtained from numerical models were used to explain the electrical resistivity of samples with different size distribution. Results showed that the increase in the number of contacts in volume unit of a sample increases, the electrical resistivity of the particle bed. Packing density also influences the electrical current transfer in granular systems. According to the obtained results, keeping the contacts density as low as possible is beneficial for electrical conductivity if it does not have a negative effect on packing density. Pitch is a viscoelastic material at elevated temperatures. In the present work, rheological properties of pitch and binder matrix (pitch+fine coke particles) were experimentally measured using a dynamic shear rheometer at 135, 140, 145 and 150 ºC. Four-element Burger’s model is then used to model the mechanical behavior of pitch and binder matrix. The verified model is then used to investigate the rheological properties of pitch and coke/pitch mixtures at 150 ºC. Calibrated Burger’s model showed to have a good prediction of viscoelastic properties of pitch and binder matrix at different temperatures. Obtained numerical results showed that available empirical equations in the literature fail to predict the complex modulus of mixtures of pitch and coke particles. As pitch has viscoelastic response and coke particles have irregular shapes, rheology of this mixture is more complicated and needs well-tailored mathematical models. Complex modulus of pitch decreases by increasing the temperature from 135 to 150 ºC, this makes easier the coke/pitch mixtures to flow. DEM modeling showed that the mixture gets a better compaction and so lower porosity by vibro-compacting at higher temperatures. The ability of pitch to penetrate to inter-particle voids in the porous structure of bed of coke particles was also shown to be improved by temperature. Final anode structure with less porosity and so high density is favorable for its mechanical strength as well as its chemical reaction in the cell as Based on the obtained results and considering the physics of the problem, it can be said that discrete element method is an appropriate numerical simulation technique to study the effects of raw materials and the anode paste formulation on mechanical and physical properties of coke/pitch mixtures. The platform created in the course of this research effort, provides a unique opportunity to study a variety of parameters such as size distribution, shape and content of coke particles, content and rheological properties of pitch on densification of coke/pitch mixtures in vibro-compaction process. Outputs of this thesis provide a better understanding of complicated response of anode paste in the forming process.

No description available.