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Class 11 - Bioenergy-Thermal Conversion: Green Technology - 12G6E02

Thermal gasification of biomass involves converting solid biomass into a gaseous fuel using a series of thermochemical processes in a gasifier. The gas produced is a clean-burning fuel with a heating value of 950-1200 kcal/m3 and consists mainly of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and other constituents. Gasifiers are classified based on their output capacity and the direction of gas flow, with updraft, downdraft, and crossdraft being the main types. The gasification process involves complex chemical reactions that convert carbon in biomass into carbon monoxide and other gases. The gas can then be used for cooking, lighting, engines, and other applications depending on the size of the gasifier

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50 views23 pages

Class 11 - Bioenergy-Thermal Conversion: Green Technology - 12G6E02

Thermal gasification of biomass involves converting solid biomass into a gaseous fuel using a series of thermochemical processes in a gasifier. The gas produced is a clean-burning fuel with a heating value of 950-1200 kcal/m3 and consists mainly of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and other constituents. Gasifiers are classified based on their output capacity and the direction of gas flow, with updraft, downdraft, and crossdraft being the main types. The gasification process involves complex chemical reactions that convert carbon in biomass into carbon monoxide and other gases. The gas can then be used for cooking, lighting, engines, and other applications depending on the size of the gasifier

Uploaded by

sidguru chinchole
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CLASS 11 – BIOENERGY-THERMAL CONVERSION

6th Sem. 2019  Green Technology – 12G6E02


Thermal Gasification of Biomass

 The word gasification implies converting a solid or liquid


into a gaseous fuel without leaving any solid carbonaceous
residue
 Gasifier : equipment which can gasify a variety of biomass
such as wood waste, agricultural waste like stalks, roots
and various crops, maize cobs etc
 Essentially a chemical reactor where various complex
physical and chemical processes take place
 Biomass gets dried, heated, pyrolysed, partially oxidised
and reduced, as it flows through it
Thermal Gasification of Biomass

 The gas produced in the gasifier - clean burning


fuel - heating value: 950-1200 kcal/m3
 Main constituents : hydrogen (18-20%); carbon-
monoxide (18-24%)
 Thermal gasification: a solid fuel is converted by
a series of thermochemical processes like drying,
pyrolysis, oxidation, and reduction to a gaseous
fuel – producer gas
Thermal Gasification of Biomass

 If atmospheric gas is – gasification agent, the producer gas


consists mainly : CO, H2, O2
 Wood gasification yields on volumetric basis

the following composition of the gas


 CO 18-22%

 H2- 13-19%

 CH4 – 1-5%

 Heavier hydrocarbons – 0.2 -0.4%

 CO2 – 9-12%

 N2- 45-55%

 Water vapour – 4%
Thermal Gasification of Biomass

 Engines operating on a spark ignition system (eg


petrol engines) can be made to run entriely on
producer gas
 Those using compression ignition systems ( eg
diesel engines) can be made to operate with
about 60-80% fuel oil replacement by the gas
 In larger systems, the gas can be burnt directly
(eg in an industrial oil fired boiler)
Classification of Biomass Gasifiers

 Gasifiers are classified as per:


 1) output or capacity of the gasifiers

 2) the direction of the gas flow

As per the output power, gasifiers are classified as


 i) Small size gaisifers with output upto 10 kW

 ii) Medium size gasifiers with outputs between 10 -50kW

 iii) Large size gasifiers with output in the range of 50 –


300kW
 iv) Very large gasifiers with outputs of 300 kW and above
Classification of Biomass Gasifiers

 As per the direction of the gas flow:


 i) Updraft gasifiers
 ii) Downdraft Gasifiers
 iii) Cross draft gasifiers
Updraft gasifiers
 Air enters below the combustion zone and the
producer gas leaves near the top of the gasifier
 Easy to build and operate
 Gas produced has practically no ash but contains
tar and water vapour because of passing of gas
through the unburnt fuel
 Suitable for tar free fuels like charcoal
Types of Gasifiers

 Updraft Gasifier
Downdraft gasifiers
 Air enters at the combustion zone and the gas produced
leaves near the bottom of the gasifier
 The volatiles and the tars produced from the descending
fixed bed have to pass through the reaction zone where
mostly they are racked and gasified
 Also a constriction provided an the heart, i.e. the throat
ensures that the gaseous products pass through the
hottest zone,
 The gas produced contains less of tar and more of ash
 Suitable for fuels like wood and agricultural wastes
Types of Gasifiers

 Downdraft Gasifier
Crossdraft gasifiers
 In this type, the gas produced passes upwards in the
annular space around the gasifier that is filled with
charcoal
 The charcoal acts as an insulator and a dust filter
 Air enters the gasifier through a water cooled nozzle
mounted on one side of the firebox
 The gas is produced in the horizontal zone in front of the
nozzle and passes through a vertical grate into the hot gas
port on the opposite side
 Not very commonly used
Types of Gasifiers

• Crossdraft gas producers


Chemistry of the gasification process

 Thermo-Chemical reactions
 The conversion process revolves around the
combustion reaction which supplies heat to the
neighboring zones in the reactor
 i) Carbon constitutes the major portion of the
feed and the main reaction is
 C+ O2 +3.79 N2 → 3.79 N2 +CO2
 Exothermic reaction: 395, 000 KJ/kg atom of
carbon
Chemistry of the gasification process

 ii) The carbon dioxide formed is reduced in the


presence of flowing carbon, over 90% of the CO2 is
reduced to CO at temperatures above 9000C
 C+ CO2 +3.79 N2 → 3.79 N2 +CO
 Endothermic reaction: 172,000 kJ/kg atom of carbon
 The main reaction which ideally should occur in the
reactor bed is
 2C+ O2 +3.79 N2 → 3.79 N2 +2CO
 Exothermic reaction 223,000 KJ/kg atom of carbon
Chemistry of the gasification process

 An important function of the combustion zone is to raise


the reduction zone temperature to promote the
carbon/steam gasification reaction which has a higher
activation energy
 This reaction requires temperature of 9000C and above
 C + H2O→ CO + H2
 Endothermic reaction: 130,000 kJ/kg atom of carbon
Chemistry of the gasification process

 Termed ‘wet gasification’ and has the added


advantage of dropping the temperatures in the
immediate vicinity of the hearth and reducing the
formation of clinker
 Very important in producer gas generation as it
can enrich the gas manufactured with hydrogen,
thus enhancing its calorific value
Chemistry of the gasification process

 The other reaction with carbon/steam occurs at


lower temperature and predominates between
500-6000C
 C + 2H2O →CO2 + 2H2
 Endothermic reaction 88,000 kJ/kg atom of
carbon
Chemistry of the gasification process

 Further steam reaction which occurs in the gas


producer with an excess of steam is the water
gas shift reaction
 CO + H2O →CO2 + H2
 Exothermic reaction 42,000 kJ/kg mole of CO
 Other reactions which occur in the char at
temperature of about 5000C
 C+ 2H2→ CH4
 Endothermic reaction 75,000 kJ/kg
Applications of the gasifiers
 Gasification technology has tremendous
potential in terms of its applications as the
process outputs can be converted into electrical,
mechanical and/or heat energy
Applications of the gasifiers
 Small size gasifiers
 Find applications in rural areas, especially for providing
shaft line power to agricultural pumps, processing
machinery and agricultural-processing machineries like
thrashers, straw choppers etc
 Ex: to provide shaft line-power to a 10 HP pump used for
irrigation
 Operating period for such pumps ranges from 600 to 1200
hrs/year which can irrigate 10 to 15 hectares of land
 Feed required : 6 to 11 MT/year which can be available
from one or two hectares only
Applications of the gasifiers
 Medium size gasifiers
 Can meet shaft line power requirements of various rural
industries like saw mills, carpentry workshops, mechanical
fabrication shops as well as small rice mills
 Finds extensive applications as a decentralized source of
electrical energy in milk chilling centers
 EX: A small size chilling center with a storage capacity of
5000 liters of milk shall have a shaft line power
requirement of 30 to 40 kW and hot water requirement of
1000 to 2000 liters per day.
 Both these requirements can be met
Applications of the gasifiers
 Large size gasifiers
 Find applications in rural as well as urban industries,
besides being a source of decentralized electrification
 Meet the shaft power requirements of diary, oil mill,
mineral processing, brick manufacturing, ceramics and
pottery industries
 Also used in mining operations, forest based wood
processing units, well drilling etc
 Used for total electrification of small and medium size
villages

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