Modeling of Solid Waste Flow and Mixing on the Traveling Grate of a Waste-to-Energy Combustion Chamber

Mixing of the highly non-homogeneous municipal solid wastes (MSW) on the traveling grate of mass-burn combustion chambers assists the combustion process in waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities. A matrix-based Markov chain model was developed to simulate particle flow and mixing as the solid waste particles travel over a reverse acting Martin grate. The model was used to project the pathway of a solid waste particle over a time series, in the bottom layer of the bed that is in contact with the bars of the grate. Further analytical and experimental work is planned in order to develop this model to a useful tool for designing future moving grate systems and increasing the combustion efficiency of existing WTEs.