ABSTRACT
An important aspect to be considered in charcoal production is the long cooling period of the kilns, which results in low productivity and requires a large number of kilns to supply the production demand. Researches have been developed to reduce the cooling time of the rectangular kilns by using heat exchangers. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate three models of heat exchangers that promote significant reduction in cooling time. The research was conducted at ArcelorMittalBioflorestas Company, Buritis unit, located in the city of Martinho Campos, MG.Three different heat exchangers (Models 1, 2 and 3)were evaluated.Cooling time, in days, of rectangular kilns that used heat exchangers was compared to natural cooling until the temperature of 50°C. Model 1 showed a real gain of 12.5% in cooling time, while the real gain of Model 2 was 38%. Model 3 with conventional gas flow showed an average gain of 32% whereas for inverted gas flow the gain was 43%.It is concluded that the heat exchangers evaluated were effective in reducing the cooling time of the rectangular kilns for charcoal production, which raised the kilns' productivity. Heat exchanger Model 3, with inverted gas flow, had the largest gain in cooling time and the lower number of fires during charcoal discharging.
Keywords:
Heat exchangers; Carbonization; Productivity
