Numerical Simulation Method of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Process Based on Grate Furnace: A Survey

The incineration process for municipal solid waste (MSW) has the advantages of fast speed, in-situ treatment, high capacity reduction rate, and energy recyclability. Among them, the MSW incineration (MSWI) based on mechanical grate furnaces is widely used. However, the diversity of MSW components and living habits, and the time-varying characteristic due to differences of natural environment, and frequent fluctuations in incineration conditions due to operating differences and equipment failures, etc., making it difficult to maintain the MSWI process operation at optimization status. Moreover, it is difficult to detect the combustion conditions in the furnace in real time by experimental methods and to verify the optimized control algorithm developed offline in terms of ensuring the safety of MSWI process. Thus, it is very important to construct a numerical simulation model of MSWI process close to actual operating conditions. Aim at the above problems, this paper reviews the numerical simulation method of MSWI process based on grate furnace. First, the MSWI process is described. Then, the numerical simulation methods of the MSWI process based on commercial software and self-developed software are summarized, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method are pointed out. Then, a comparative analysis of the above methods is given, and the difficulties are given out. Finally, the current status of numerical simulation is summarized, and future research directions and development prospects are given.