Configuration-Dependent Multi-Parameter Optimization in Biomass Gasification: From Operating Windows to AI-Assisted Control

Biomass gasification in a 100 kWth steam-oxygen blown circulating fluidized bed gasifier: Effects of operational conditions on product gas distribution and tar formation

Design of an integrated biomass gasification and proton exchange membrane fuel cell system under self-sustainable conditions: Process modification and heat-exchanger network synthesis

Gasification of torrefied oil palm biomass in a fixed-bed reactor: Effects of gasifying agents on product characteristics

This article assesses the gasification behavior of sawdust using steam as the gasification agent. To do this, a comprehensive model of biomass gasification consisting of four main processes (biomass dehydration, biomass devolatilization, tar combustion, and char gasification) was developed using an Aspen Plus simulator. Two gasification processes were studied: steam-gasification with primary tar combustion (SIM I) and steam-gasification with no pretreatment (SIM II). The effects of the gasification temperature (650–800 °C) and the steam-to-biomass ratio, S/B (1.1–1.8), on the produced gas composition, gas yield, tar yield, the higher heating value of the syngas (HHVgas), H2/CO, carbon conversion efficiency (CCE), and cold gas efficiency (CGE) were investigated. It was found that the gasification strategy had little effect on the CCE but had a significant effect on the produced gas composition and CGE. During steam-gasification with primary tar combustion (SIM I), HHVgas and H2/CO showed higher values, while the tar yield showed lower values. The simulation results also confirmed an insignificant effect of the gasification temperature in the range of 650–800 °C on HHVgas. Regardless of the gasification strategy, it was found that steam-gasification of sawdust achieved the acceptable level of H2/CO and HHVgas at simulated conditions and can be considered as an alternative route for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis.

Simulation of air-steam gasification of pine sawdust in an updraft gasification system for production of hydrogen-rich producer gas

Assessment of biomass energy potential for SRC willow woodchips in a pilot scale bubbling fluidized bed gasifier

A transition towards synthetic fuels such as synthetic natural gas (SNG) is a requirement that can contribute to future energy security and sustainable development. Conventional coal gasification could be replaced with biomass gasification to produce synthetic natural gas that can be used in existing natural gas distribution infrastructure, transport, domestic and industrial sectors with almost no or little modifications. This study evaluates the integration of synthetic natural gas production using biomass gasification with combined heat and power plant (CHP). Various system performance indicators are used for comparing different systems such as carbon conversion, energy efficiencies, economic feasibility and commercial viability of technologies. For the evaluation of studied system, 100 MW of dried biomass is used as input for synthetic natural gas production together with power and district heating. The results obtained by integration of process showed a substantial synthetic natural gas production potential i.e. about 74.3 MW based on 100 MW biomass input. The process heat requirement of the system is about 26.60 MW and 0.60 MW for electrification. The results indicate that 27.35 MW heat is available for district heating and about 3.4 MW net amount of heat is available for power production by organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The results also show that the system is 74.3 % efficient based on lower heating value. Poly generation concept of SNG production along with power and district heating system claims its economic viability.

Low temperature gasification of poultry litter in a lab-scale fluidized reactor

Process modelling and thermodynamic performance optimization of biomass air gasification fuelled with waste poultry litter pellet by integrating Aspen plus with RSM

The first part of the current reported work presents experimental results of brewers’ spent grains gasification in a pilot-scale downdraft gasifier. The gasification procedure is assessed through various process characteristics such as gas yield, lower heating value, carbon conversion efficiency, and cold gas efficiency. Power production was varied from 3.0 to 5.0 kWh during the gasification experiments. The produced gas was supplied to an internal combustion engine coupled to a synchronous generator to produce electricity. Here, 1.0 kWh of electricity was obtained for about 1.3 kg of brewers’ spent grains pellets gasified, with an average electrical efficiency of 16.5%. The second part of the current reported work is dedicated to the development of a modified thermodynamic equilibrium model of the downdraft gasification to assess the potential applications of the main Portuguese biomasses through produced gas quality indices. The Portuguese biomasses selected are the main representative forest residues (pine, eucalyptus, and cork) and agricultural residues (vine prunings and olive bagasse). A conclusion can be drawn that, using air as a gasifying agent, the biomass gasification provides a produced gas with enough quality to be used for energy production in boilers or turbines.

Multizone model of a refused derived fuel gasification: A thermodynamic Semi-empirical approach

ABSTRACTA model was developed to simulate the sewage sludge gasification in an atmospheric fluidised bed gasifier using Aspen Plus. The model here presented was based on the Gibbs free energy minimisation and the restricted equilibrium method was used to calibrate it against previously published experimental data obtained in a lab-scale gasification plant. A sensitivity analysis of the model was carried out by modifying parameters such as the temperature, equivalence ratio (ER) and the steam-to-biomass ratio. The modeled results were in good agreement with the experimental data (especially when air was used as gasifying agent) and reproduced satisfactorily the experimental trends found for the gas composition, the carbon conversion (Xc) and the cold gas efficiency (CGE) under different gasification conditions. Operating at higher temperatures increased the production of H2 and CO, as well as the Xc and the CGE. The increase in ER produced higher Xc, yet the CGE experienced slight changes due to a decrease in the lower heating value of the resulting syngas, as well as the oxidation of combustible gases. The use of air+steam as gasifying agent increased the H2 content of the produced gases but decreased the accuracy of the model.Implications: Gasification is an available alternative to produce energy as well as several raw materials from sewage sludge. The syngas obtained from this technology totally depends on the type of gasifier and the operation conditions, which can be optimized with the help of models. In this work, a relatively simple model was built using ASPEN PLUS. Despite its simplicity, the outputs of the model are in good agreement with experimental results what makes its use interesting for assessing scaling-up possibilities from lab-scale to pilot-scale gasification processes.

Experimental microwave-assisted air gasification of biomass in fluidized bed reactor

ABSTRACTRed mulberry (Morus rubra) tree is found in many parts of the globe but its dead branches are ineffectively used in many countries for cooking and heating purposes. The literature indicates that biomass gasification study derived from red mulberry (Morus rubra) wood is not yet investigated. With this objective, in the present work, gasification characteristics of dead red mulberry (Morus rubra) wood under dry and chopped condition is assessed. A downdraft biomass gasifier powering a 10 kW generator has been used to study the producer gas generated when dried branches of dead red mulberry (Morus rubra) wood is used as fuel. Further, provisions are also provided to produce flame for cooking and other heating applications. In the present study, various parameters such as producer gas content, calorific value (CV), cold gas efficiency, equivalence ratio, and flame profiles are studied to optimize the operation of the downdraft biomass gasifier. The present study reveals that maximum CV and cold gas efficiency of the present biomass are 5.846 MJ/m3 and 68.45%, respectively, corresponding to an optimum equivalence ratio 0.296. Performance comparison of the present biomass is done against other types of biomasses reported in various literatures. It is highlighted that the present source of biomass gasification offers competitive performance with the earlier biomass resources. The present resource can be efficiently used to produce power generation and cooking in remote areas where it is currently being utilized inefficiently.

This article presents a non-stoichiometric equilibrium model based on the Gibbs free energy minimization method to analyze the effect of process parameters (temperature, pressure, equivalence ratio (ER), and steam/coal (S/C) ratio) on gasification of high-ash Indian coal and to find out optimum operating conditions for production of energy and chemicals. The model considers 16 elements distributed among 373 gas and 119 solid species. Effect of temperature is small when temperature is increased above ~ 1100 K. While increase in pressure brings operational benefits, effect of pressure on the gasification performance is very small. In general, with increase in ER, oxidative species start to dominate and, consequently, cold gas efficiency (CGE) decreases and carbon conversion (X) increases. CGE increases with increase in S/C ratio. The proposed methodology can be used for preliminary analysis and optimization of gasification system effectively in terms of cost and time.