UNIVERSITY POLITEHNICA BUCHAREST

POWER ENGINEERING FACULTY

BIOMASS GASIFICATION
-A MODELLING STUDY-

By Anamaria CONSTANTINESCU
BUCHAREST 28th JUNE 2005
 CONVENTIONAL
HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENERGY SOURCES

OIL COAL NATURAL GAS

SOLAR

WIND
RENEWABLE ENERGY
SOURCES IN ROMANIA
HYDRO

BIOMASS

GEOTHERMAL
 RENEWABLE ENERGY DISTRIBUTION IN ROMANIA

• I. Danube Delta (solar)

• II. Dobrogea (energie solara, energie
eoliana)
• III. Moldova (hydro, wind, biomass)
• IV. Carpatii (VI1 - Carpatii de Est; IV2 -
Carpatii de Sud; IV3 - Carpatii de Vest,
biomass, hydro)
• V. Platoul Transilvaniei (hydro)
• VI. Campia de Vest (geothermal)
• VII: Subcarpatii (VII1 - Subcarpatii
getici; VII2 - Subcarpatii de curbura;
VII3 - Subcarpatii Moldovei: biomass,
hydro)
• VIII. Campia de Sud (biomass,
geothermal, solar).
 The Low of Research and Develop of Biomass from 2000 defines biomass like:
BIOMASS
= “any organic substance available or renewable that includes agricultural
crops, trees, wood and wood wastes, plants (including aquatic plants), herbs,
animal wastes, municipal wastes and other types of wastes.”

6675 000 t
(average total potential) BIOMASS:
IN ROMANIA •Generating electricity
•Heating homes
•Fueling vehicles
4500 000 t •Renewable energy
(utilized potential)
Main biomass conversion technologies are:

• COMBUSTION

• PYROLYSIS

• GASIFICATION

• ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
 GASIFICATION = THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF ORGANIC MATTER IN AN OXYGEN
DEFICIENT ATMOSPHERE PRODUCING A SYNGAS

GENERAL EQUATION OF GASIFICATION:

BIOMASS REACTOR SYNGAS

ULTIMATE ANALYSIS
REACTIONS OF COMBUSTION:
OF BEECH:

C 48.7 %
C + O2 = CO2 (carbon)
H 5.7 % H2 + 0.5O2 = H2O (hydrogen)
N 0.13% S + O2 = SO2 (sulphur)
S 0.01%

O 45.18%

A 0.28%
 SIMPLIFIED EQUATION OF BIOMASS GASIFICATION:

CxHyOz + j (0.21*O2 + 0.79*N2) + vH2O = aCO + bCO2 +cH2 +dH2O + eCH4 + fC + gN2

Reaction ∆H [kJ/kmol] Reaction type

MASS BALANCE EQUATIONS:
R1: C + CO2 = 2CO 172459 endothermic
a+b+e+f–x=0 %C
2*c + 2*d + 4*e – y - 2*v = 0 %H R2: C + 2H2 = CH4 -74520 exothermic
(1)
a + 2*b + d – z - 2*0.21*j – v = 0 %O R3: C + H2O= CO + H2 131293 endothermic
2*g - 2*0.79*j = 0 %N
R4: CO2 +H2 =CO + H2O 41166 endothermic

k1 * b * n − a 2 * p = 0 R5: CH4 + H2O= CO+ 3H2 205813 endothermic

(5) k2 * c2 * p − e * n = 0 −J T ΔC 2 ΔD
(2) ln K = + ΔA ln T + ΔB + T + 2 +I
k3 * d * n − a * c * p = 0 RT 2 6 2T
3
a ⎛c ⎞
* p *⎜ * p⎟
(3) k = n ⎝n ⎠
k4 * b * c − a * d = 0 5
(6) d e
* p* * p
k5 * d * e * n 2 − a * c 3 * p 2 = 0 n n
(4) k5 *d *e*n −a*c * p = 0
2 3 2
 VARIATION OF SYNGAS COMPOSITION WITH TEMPERATURE:
s yn g as co m p o s itio n

30

25

20 CO
%moles CO2
15 H2
H2O
10 CH4

0
600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
T [K]

IF A DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM IS DISTURBED

LE’CHATELIER
BY CHANGING THE CONDITIONS, THE POSITION OF EQUILIBRIUM
PRINCIPLE =
MOVES TO COUNTERACT THE CHANGE
Reaction Tip
R1: C + CO2 = 2CO Endo.

R2: C + 2H2 = CH4 Exo.

R3: C + H2O= CO + H2 Endo.

R4: CO2 +H2 =CO + H2O Endo.

R5: CH4 + H2O= CO+ 3H2 Endo.

 VARIATION OF SYNGAS COMPOSITION WITH PRESSURE:

Variation of syngas composition with pressure

T=800K ER=0.3

25

20

CO
15
%moles

CO2
H2
H2O
10 CH4

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
p[bar]

Variation of syngas composition with pressure

ER=0.3 T=1100K

30

25

20
CO
%moles

CO2
15 H2
H2O
CH4
10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
p[bar]
 VARIATION OF SYNGAS COMPOSITION WITH ER:

V a r ia t io n o f s y n g a s c o m p o s it io n w it h ER ( p = 1 b a r T = 1 1 0 0 K)
30

25

20

CO
%moles

15 CO 2
H2
H2 O
10
CH4

0
0 .2 0 .2 5 0 .3 0 .3 5 0 .4 0 .4 5 0 .5 0 .5 5
ER
 HHV AND LHV OF SYNGAS:

CO CH4 H2

VARIATION WITH TEMPERATURE:

Variation of HHV and LHV of syngas with temperature

AIR GASIFICATION
7000

6000

5000

HHV_raw
HV [kJ/m3N]

4000
HHV_dry
LHV_raw
3000 LHV_dry

2000

1000

0
600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
T[K]
 HHV AND LHV OF SYNGAS:

VARIATION WITH TEMPERATURE:

VARIATION OF HHV AND LHV OF SYNGASS WITH TEMPERATURE

INDUSTRIAL OXIGEN (95%) GASIFICATION
12000

10000

8000
HV [kJ/m3N]

HHV_raw
LHV_raw
6000
HHV_dry
LHV_dry

4000

2000

0
600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
T[K]
 CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MODEL:

MODEL BIOMASS AND BIOENERGY

GENERAL EQUATION OF GASIFICATION:

CH1.99O0.96 +1.3 H2O = aCO + bCO2 + cH2 + dCH4 + eH2O

GASIFICATION PROCESS PARAMETERS: OBTAINED RESULTS:

Temperature 980 K

Pressure 3 bar

Gasification agent H2O

 CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MODEL:

GENERAL EQUATION OF GASIFICATION:

GASIFICATION PROCESS PARAMETERS: OBTAINED RESULTS:

Temperature 1080 K

Pressure 3 bar

Gasification agent H2O

 CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MODEL:

GASIFICATION PROCESS PARAMETERS: ULTIMATE ANALYSIS OF BIOMASS:

Temperature 800 °C C
48.26 %
H 5.82 %
Pressure 0.98 bar
N 0.22%
Gasification agent steam S 0.03%
O 45.67%

OBTAINED RESULTS:

MODEL BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY

T[°C] CO CO2 H2 H2O CH4 others

800 31.17 12.42 56.18 _ 0.11 0.11 %vol

dry
800 25.84 10.3 46.57 17.1 0.09 0.09 %vol
raw
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

anamaria@energy.pub.ro
www.acn.home.ro