See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279290982

The Study of Temperature Profile and Syngas

Flare in Co-gasification of Biomass Feedstock
in Throated Downdraft Gasifier

Conference Paper · August 2014

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-287-505-1_24

CITATIONS READS

5 88

5 authors, including:

Muddasser Inayat Shaharin Anwar Sulaiman

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
12 PUBLICATIONS 18 CITATIONS 209 PUBLICATIONS 748 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Fiseha M Guangul Samson M. Atnaw

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Universiti Malaysia Pahang
15 PUBLICATIONS 71 CITATIONS 36 PUBLICATIONS 174 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Syngas as an alternative fuel View project

Hydrodynamics of Swirling Fluidized Bed with Sloping Distributor View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Muddasser Inayat on 04 July 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

The Study of Temperature Profile
and Syngas Flare in Co-gasification
of Biomass Feedstock in Throated
Downdraft Gasifier

Muddasser Inayat, Shaharin A. Sulaiman, Aini Abd Jamil,

Fiseha M. Guangul and Samson M. Atnaw

Abstract Biomass gasification is a common technology, which converted solid

biomass into gaseous fuel at high temperature reactions in the presence of gasifi-
cation agent. In this paper, co-gasification of lignocellulosic biomass materials with
oil palm fronds (OPF) in a downdraft gasifier is presented. The biomass feedstocks
considered were sugar cane bagasse (SCB) and wood (acacia mangium). Only one
material was co-gasified with OPF at a time, with blending ratios of 80:20, 50:50
and 20:80. The resulting temperature profiles in the reactor and the syngas flare
duration were recorded. It was found that the blend of 80:20 wood and OPF gave
the best result as it produced the longest steady flare duration (49.5 min). On the
other hand, a significant bridging problem was observed in the co-gasification OPF
and SCB, and thus implying the need for process improvement.

Keywords Co-gasification
Downdraft gasifier
Blending ratio
Temperature

profile

M. Inayat (&)
S.A. Sulaiman
A. Abd Jamil
F.M. Guangul

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Bandar
Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
e-mail: muddasser_engr@yahoo.com
S.A. Sulaiman
e-mail: shaharin@petronas.com.my
A. Abd Jamil
e-mail: ainiabdjamil@gmail.com
F.M. Guangul
e-mail: fiseha.mekonnen62@gmail.com
S.M. Atnaw
Faculty of Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 23600 Kuantan,
Pahang, Malaysia
e-mail: mekbibsams@ump.edu.my

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2015 203

M.A. Hashim (ed.), ICGSCE 2014, DOI 10.1007/978-981-287-505-1_24
204 M. Inayat et al.

Introduction

Fossil fuel reserves are depleting due to growth in population and human activities.
According to a forecast by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the demand for
energy by 2050 is expected to grow by three folds as compared to the current
consumption [1]. As a result, there is need to generate power from alternative
sources such as biomass [2]. Malaysia is bestowed with a huge quantity of biomass
resources due to its location near the equator with high precipitation rate and long
sunny days throughout the year. This makes biomass the most prominent source of
energy among other renewable sources in Malaysia. Forestry wood, oil palm
industry, and rubber cultivation are the main sources of the biomass waste stream in
Malaysia [3]. Although utilization of biomass as sources of renewable energy have
a many benefits, it has also several issues such as interruption and discontinuity in
feedstock supply [4]. The supply of some biomass materials can be affected by
natural disasters such as flood and heavy rain. These aforementioned issues could
be addressed through co-gasification.
The performance of gasification and quality of syngas depends upon numerous
factors such as gasifying medium (air, steam or O2), heating rate, temperature and
equivalence ratio. In addition, the characteristics of the feedstock, i.e., the elemental
composition, heating value, fixed carbon, volatile matters, moisture content and ash
content would determine the performance of gasification [5]. In gasification,
the temperature is a key factor that directly affects syngas composition [6]. High
gasification temperature favors increase in gas yield due to a high decomposition of
cellulose and hemicellulose. Steam reforming and water-gas reaction favor higher
H2 concentration and lower CH4 concentration in the syngas for gasification tem-
perature of between 750 °C and 800 °C. At a higher temperature between 850 °C
and 900 °C, boudouard reaction favors higher CO concentration in the syngas [7].
The aim of this paper is to study the performance of co-gasifying different
biomass feedstock, namely wood, oil palm fronds and sugar cane bagasse. The
study involved measurements of the temperature profile in the reactor and nature of
the flare resulted from the syngas produced.

Characterization of Feedstock

Oil palm fronds (OPF), wood and sugar cane bagasse (SCB) were selected as
feedstock in the study. The oil palm fronds were collected from the FELCRA palm
oil plantation in Bota Kanan, approximately 220 km to the Northwest of Kuala
Lumpur. Wood (acacia mangium) was collected from the landscape area within the
campus of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Malaysia. SCB was collected from
small scale sugar cane juicer hawker nearby the campus area.
The bagasse was chopped to the length of 25–40 mm, while, OPF and wood
were cut into small blocks with a maximum size of 25 mm. Feedstock was dried in
The Study of Temperature Profile and Syngas Flare … 205

Table 1 Characterization results of wood, OPF and SCB

Biomass Ultimate analysis (wt%) Proximate analysis HHV kJ/kg
(wt% on dry basis)
C H Oa N S MC VM FC Ash
Wood 43.54 3.59 51.70 1.00 0.16 4.25 88.07 10.77 1.16 17,526
OPF 42.57 5.71 51.02 0.42 0.29 6.15 80.55 16.43 3.02 17,045
SCB 42.02 4.01 51.95 1.28 0.74 20.67 65.30 11.35 2.69 17,486
a
By difference basis. MC Moisture content; VM Volatile matters. FC Fixed carbon. HHV Higher
heating values

an oven at 105 °C for 24 h. The maximum moisture content was 12 % on wet basis.
Ground 250 μm sieved feedstock samples were used for characterization tests.
A Leco CHNS-932 analyzer was used to determine carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and
sulfur contents of the feedstock according to ASTM D3176-89 standard [8]. The
proximate analysis, for determination of moisture content, volatile matter, fixed
carbon and ash, was performed according to ASTM E1131-98 standard test method
by using STA 6000 TGA analyzer [9]. For measurements of higher heating value
(HHV), a Leco AC-350 bomb calorimeter was used. The calorific value was
measured through measurement of the heat release after combustion of the samples.
Characterization results of wood, OPF and SCB are presented in Table 1.

Experimental Set-Up

The experimental set-up is shown in Fig. 1. For temperature measurements, ther-

mocouples T1–T7 were mounted as shown in Fig. 1, and were recorded every 30 s
by the data logger and computer. A pre-mixed blend of feedstock was fed into the
gasifier through feeding holes. Ignition was started through the ignition hole by
using scrap paper. After steady combustion was achieved, all lids were closed and
air was supplied by blower at 400 L/min. The air flow rate was regulated and
measured by using a valve and a rotameter. The syngas was ignited at the flare
point. Char and ash were collected from the ash box and on the grate after the
process was ended and were then weighed.

Results and Discussion

The duration of the process to fully consume 12.8 kg blend of OPF (80 %) and wood
(20 %) was 90 min. The temperature variation with time for different zones inside the
gasifier is shown in Fig. 2. The flare was obtained only after 34 min from the start
time of the experiment, and the combustion zone temperature was recorded to be
504 °C. Continuous and stable flare was obtained for about 44 min. The maximum
206 M. Inayat et al.

Portable Thermocouple
Pc
Data Logger
Feeding
Hole
Thermocouple
Flare

T1

Downdraft
Gasifier
T2

T3
Rotameter Air inlet O150 mm
2000 mm

T4

Blower
T5
T7

T6 Cyclone
Ignition Hole Particulate and
Ash Port
O300 mm Condensate
Collecctor

2000 mm

Fig. 1 Experimental set-up

Fig. 2 Temperature profile for 80 % OPF and 20 % wood with time

temperature recorded at the flare point was 719 °C. A bright yellowish flare was
obtained at the start of gasification due to the excess of hydrocarbon contents present
in the syngas. However, the color of flare changed to light yellowish near the end of
gasification. It was noted that, during the last 10 min of gasification, the temperature
of the combustion zone increased to a peak value of 1112 °C. The significant increase
in combustion zone temperature near the end of the operation is attributed to the
The Study of Temperature Profile and Syngas Flare … 207

Fig. 3 Temperature profile for co-gasification of 50:50 OPF and wood blend with time

batch fed nature of the gasification process, whereby most part of the volatile matter
components will be consumed during the steady operation duration, leaving com-
bustion to be the only dominant operation for the last few minutes of the operation,
causing the increase in temperature. The average temperatures in the combustion and
reduction zones were 766 and 545 °C, respectively, during 34–78 min (marked by
region between vertical lines) of gasification. The average temperature of syngas at
the outlet was 323 °C. Similar to that reported by Guangul et al. [6] bridging was
observed at start of experiment, probably due to the fibrous nature of OPF feedstock
and this was overcome by stirring the feedstock inside the gasifier as soon as a drop
in temperature in the reactor was detected.
The temperature variation for different zones with time for co-gasification of OPF
(50 %) and wood (50 %) is shown in Fig. 3. The experiment took 79 min, which was
shorter than that, for the mixture of 80 % OPF and 20 % wood. The syngas could
ignite after 27 min from the start of the experiment and combustion zone temperature
was reached 609 °C. The resulting flare was stable for 39 min. The maximum
temperature of the flare at top was 744 °C. The flare was bright yellowish at the start
of the process, changed to light yellow-bluish towards the end of the experiment.
The average temperatures of the combustion and reduction zones were 732 and
469 °C, respectively during 27–78 min of gasification. The maximum combustion
zone temperature was 1096 °C and sustained for 10.5 min of the experiment. The
significant increase in combustion zone temperature near the end of the operation
was similar to the Fig. 2. The average temperature of syngas outlet was 272 °C.
Different that the experiment of OPF (80 %) and wood (20 %), no bridging problem
was observed during the co-gasification of 50 % OPF and 50 % wood mixture.
The temperature variation for different zones of the gasifier with time for co-
gasification of 20:80 OPF and wood is shown in Fig. 4. The experiment took
94 min, which was longer than that all blends. The flare could ignite after 28 min of
experiment start and sustained for 49.5 min, average combustion zone temperature
at instant was recorded as 741 °C. The maximum temperature recorded at the top of
flare point was 719 °C. The colour of flare was bright yellow at the start of
gasification, however, it changed to light yellowish near the end of gasification. The
maximum combustion zone temperature was 1078 °C and sustained for 10 min near
208 M. Inayat et al.

Fig. 4 Temperature profile for co-gasification of 20:80 OPF and wood blend with time

Fig. 5 Temperature profile for co-gasification of 80:20 OPF and SCB blend with time

the end of the experiment it was similar to previous experiments. The average
temperature of combustion and reduction zones was 606 and 398 °C, respectively,
during the 28–77.5 min of the experiment. The average temperature of the syngas at
the outlet point was 315 °C. Throughout the experiment, there was no bridging
problem observed.
Co-gasification of OPF and SCB for all ratios was found to be difficult in
sustaining stable temperature profile and flare due to recurrence of bridging prob-
lem. It was observed that, as a ratio of SCB increases in blend bridging interval
increased and gasification time decreased. It was due to SCB have a low density
(2.16 g/cm3) light weight and higher specific surface area (4716 cm2/g) causes
bridging. The blend of 80:20 OPF and SCB (Fig. 5) encountered bridging twice.
For blends of 50:50 (Fig. 6); and 20:80 OPF and SCB (Fig. 7) encountered bridging
three times throughout the experiment. Therefore, to avert the problem, opened the
gasifier and, as a result, an abrupt decrease in the combustion zone and other zones
temperature were experienced. This bridging problem was due to light weight and
fibrous nature of the SCB. Hence, SCB in the form used in this work would not be
suitable for downdraft gasifier. In the co-gasification of 80:20 OPF and SCB,
an unstable flare was found only for 4.5 min. Whereas, in co-gasification of 50:50
(Fig. 6); and 20:80 OPF and SCB (Fig. 7) flare was not obtained at all.
The Study of Temperature Profile and Syngas Flare … 209

Fig. 6 Temperature profile for co-gasification of 50:50 OPF and SCB blend with time

Fig. 7 Temperature profile for co-gasification of 20:80 OPF and SCB blend with time

Conclusion

OPF was co-gasified with wood and SCB in downdraft gasifier in order to inves-
tigate the effects of blending ratios on gasifier temperature profile, syngas flame
elapse time and co-gasification experiment time. All blends of OPF and wood
experiments temperature profile was found stable and average stable combustion
zone temperature was 766, 732 and 606 °C for 20:80, 50:50 and 80:20 OPF and
wood blends, respectively. On the contrary, all blends of OPF and SCB encoun-
tered the bridging problem and unstable temperature profile. Maximum 49.5 min
flare was recorded for 20:80 OPF and wood blend followed by 44 and 39 min for
80:20 and 50:50 OPF and wood blends, while, only 4.5 min flare was obtained for
80:20 OPF and SCB blend, while, 50:50 and 20:80 OPF and SCB blend no flare at
all. High wood ratio in blends increased the process time and flares ignition time
and sustained longer, while, high SCB ratio in blends increased the interval of
bridging and decreased process time.

Acknowledgment The authors acknowledge a grant-in-aid for research from “Exploratory

Research Grant Scheme (ERGS) No. 0153AB-I13.” Malaysia.
 210 M. Inayat et al.

References

1. International Energy Agency (2013). Bioenergy. Available www.iea.org/topics/bioenergy

2. Saidur R, Abdelaziz EA, Demirbas A, Hossain MS, Mekhilef S (2011) A review on biomass as
a fuel for boilers. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 15:2262–2289
3. Shafie SM, Mahlia TMI, Masjuki HH, Ahmad-Yazid A (2012) A review on electricity
generation based on biomass residue in Malaysia. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 16:5879–5889
4. Ong HC, Mahlia TMI, Masjuki HH (2011) A review on energy scenario and sustainable energy
in Malaysia. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 15:639–647
5. Skoulou V, Zabaniotou A, Stavropoulos G, Sakelaropoulos G (2008) Syngas production from
olive tree cuttings and olive kernels in a downdraft fixed-bed gasifier. Int J Hydrogen Energy
33:1185–1194
6. Guangul FM, Sulaiman SA, Ramli A (2012) Gasifier selection, design and gasification of oil
palm fronds with preheated and unheated gasifying air. Bioresour Technol 126:224–232
7. Kumar A, Jones DD, Hanna MA (2009) Thermochemical biomass gasification: a review of the
current status of the technology. Energies 2:556–581
8. ASTM (2002) ASTM D3176-89: standard practice for ultimate analysis of coal and coke. In:
Annual book of ASTM standards. ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA
9. ASTM (2004) Annual book of ASTM standards, section five: petroleum products, lubricants,
and fossil fuels, gaseous fuels, coal and coke, vol 05.06. ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA

View publication stats