Thesis Report Full

ANALYSIS OF PRODUCED GAS BY THE
GASIFICATION OF DIFFERENT SOLID

BIOFUELS (RICE HUSK, WOOD CHIPS &
SUGARCANE BAGASSE)
A Thesis Submitted to the
Department of Mechanical & Production Engineering
AHSANULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

BY
Leon Dias [12.01.08.044]
Mohosina Sikder [12.01.08.053]
Rasel Mahmud [12.01.08.054]
Under the supervision of
Dr. Dewan Hasan Ahmed
In partial fulfillment of the

Requirement for the Degree
Of
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
May, 2016
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, we are grateful to Allah, The Almighty for giving us the courage and enthusiasm to
complete the thesis work.
The authors express their profound gratitude to their supervisor Associate Professor, Dr. Dewan
Hasan Ahmed, Department of Mechanical & Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of
Science & Technology, for his constant and meticulous supervision, positive criticism, guidance,
valuable suggestions and encouragement to carry out this work. For all this, the authors
acknowledge their sincere gratitude to him.
We are very grateful to all of our teachers of Department of Mechanical and Production
Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology as well, for their direct and
indirect assistance at different times. We are also grateful to all of the stuffs and lab attendants of
Heat Engine lab and other labs of Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology for their help
in completing our experiment. Our thanks also extended to the authority of the University for their
Financial Support to complete the Thesis.
Finally, we would like to thank everybody who supported us in any respect for the completion of
the Thesis.
i
ABSTRACT
Biomass fuels are considered as alternative fuels for different energy sectors. This thesis project
considers three different solid and dry biomass fuels: Rice Husk, Wood Chips and Sugarcane
Bagasse. Experiments are carried out to analyze the combustible components of the produced
syngas by gasification process of solid Biofuels. The Concentration of the three major components
(CO, H2, CH4) of syngas are obtained by locally made gas analyzer system. Three different solid
biomass fuels are investigated for different amount of fuel (by mass) and different air flow rates.
The results indicated that the presence of CO is kept almost constant & obtained highest
concentration after the combustion period of syngas. On the other hand, it has found that CH4
concentration of about 400 PPM is required to start the combustion of syngas. The combustion
period of different biofuels shows that with the increase of mass of biofuel the combustion period
is enhanced & rice husk has longer combustion period over the other biofuels. However, syngas
from the sugarcane bagasse shows the highest heating value among others. Another findings is the
that rice husk also took the least amount of time to produce combustible syngas. But it was easier
for wood chips and sugarcane bagasse to ignite the fuel for the start of gasification process.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Page No
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT …………………………………. i
ABSTRACT ……………………………………………….. ii
LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………... vii
LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………. ix
Chapter-1 Introduction [1-7]

1.1 Rice Husk ……………………………………………..[3]
1.2 Wood Chips …………………………………………...[4]
1.3 Sugarcane Bagasse .......................................................[6]
Chapter-2 Literature Review [8-14]

2.1 Review on Rice Husk Gasification ……………....…..[8]
2.2 Review on Wood Chips Gasification ………………[12]
2.3 Review on Bagasse Gasification ……………………[13]
iii
Chapter-3 Objectives [15]
Chapter-4 Design and Construction [16-26]

4.1 Hopper ……………………………………............….[16]
4.2 Char Chamber ………………………………………[16]
4.3 Reactor .……………………………………………....[17]
4.4 Blower ………………………………………………..[17]
4.5 Scrapper ……………………………………………...[18]
4.6 Gas Chamber ………………………………………...[19]
4.7 L-Shaped Air Flow Pipe .……………………………[19]
4.8 Voltage Regulators ………..…………………………[20]
4.9 Exhaust Pipe……………….…………………………[21]
4.10 Thermocouple ………………………………………[22]
4.11 Anemometer ………………………………………...[23]
4.12.1 Arduino UNO ……………....…………………….[23]
4.12.2 Gas Sensors ……………………………………….[24]
4.12.3 USB cable for Arduino
and USB to 5V PC ……………………………… [26]
Chapter-5 Theory of Gasification [27-32]

5.1 Gasification …………………………………………[27]
5.2 Chemical Reactions inside the Reactor …………...[28]
5.3 Composition and Characteristics
of the Producer Gas/ Syngas ...………………..[30]
5.4 Combustion of the produced gas/Syngas ………….[31]
5.5 Air Flow Rate ……………………………………….[32]
iv
Chapter-6 Experimental Methodology [33-36]
6.1 Fuel Feeding ………………………………………..[33]
6.2 Air Flow System ……………………………………[33]
6.3 Setting Up the Arduino UNO
for gas analysis ………………………[33]
6.4 Taking the Gas Concentration
Readings …..…………………[35]
6.5 Primary Ignition & Start Up ………………………[35]
Chapter-7 Result and Discussion [37-62]

7.1 Gas Concentration (Before
Ignition and After Combustion) ...………………....[37]
7.1.1 Rice Husk ………….………………………………[38]
7.1.2 Wood Chips ……………………….……………….[44]
7.1.3 Sugarcane Bagasse .…….…………………………[47]
7.2 Gas Concentration for Specific
Gases and Different Fuels …………………….[51]
7.2.1 Carbon Monoxide (CO) ………….………………[53]
7.2.2 Methane (CH4) ……………………………………[54]
7.2.3 Hydrogen (H2) …………………………………….[55]
7.3 Air Fuel Ratio ………………………………………[56]
7.3.1 Sample: Rice Husk ………………….…………….[56]
7.3.2 Sample: Wood Chips ……………………………..[57]
v
7.3.3 Sample: Sugarcane Bagasse …….………….……..[58]
7.4 Heating Value of Syngas …………….………………[59]
7.5 Discussion …………………………....……………….[61]
Chapter-8 Limitations and

Future Recommendations [63-63]
8.1 Limitations …………………...………………………[63]
8.2 Future model of Gasifier Upgradation ..……………[64]
8.3 Bangladesh’s Perspective ……………………………[64]
Chapter-9 Conclusion [67]
vi
LIST OF FIGURES Page No.
Figure 1.1: Heat contents of biomass depending on water contents [2]
Figure 4.1: Hopper, Char Chamber & Reactor [17]
Figure 4.2: Blower [18]
Figure 4.3: Scrapper [18]
Figure 4.4: Gas Chamber [19]
Figure 4.5: L-shaped Pipe [20]
Figure 4.6: Voltage Regulators [20]
Figure 4.7: Exhaust Pipe [21]
Figure 4.8: Thermocouple [22]
Figure 4.9: Anemometer [23]
Figure 4.10: Arduino UNO with Labels [24]
Figure 4.11: The Sensors [25]
Figure 4.12: USB cable for Arduino UNO [26]
Figure 4.13: USB cable for sensor power [26]
Figure 6.1: Circuit diagram for Arduino and Sensors [34]
Figure 6.2: Sensors connected to Arduino [34]
Figure 6.3: Obtaining the Gas Concentration [35]
Figure 7.1: Rice Husk - Gas Concentration for 200gm at 2.6ms-1 Before Ignition [40]
Figure 7.2: Rice Husk - Gas Concentration for 200gm at 2.6ms-1 After Combustion [40]
vii
Figure 7.9: Wood Chips - Gas Concentration for 100gm at 2.0ms-1 Before Ignition [45]
Figure 7.10: Wood Chips - Gas Concentration for 100gm at 2.0ms-1 After Combustion [45]
Figure 7.11: Wood Chips - Gas Concentration for 200gm at 2.0ms-1 Before Ignition [46]
Figure 7.12: Wood Chips - Gas Concentration for 200gm at 2.0ms-1 After Combustion [46]
Figure 7.13: Sugarcane Bagasse - Gas Concentration for 100gm at 2.0ms-1
(Before Ignition) [48]
(After Combustion) [48]
Figure 7.19: CO Concentration of Different Fuels (Before Ignition) [53]
Figure 7.20: CO Concentration of Different Fuels (After Combustion) [53]
Figure 7.21: CH4 Concentration of Different Fuels (Before Ignition) [54]
Figure 7.22: CH4 Concentration of Different Fuels (After Combustion) [54]
Figure 7.23: H2 Concentration of Different Fuels (Before Ignition) [55]
Figure 7.24: H2 Concentration of Different Fuels (After Combustion) [55]
viii
LIST OF TABLES Page No
Table 1.1: Proximate and ultimate analysis of sugarcane bagasse [7]
Table 4.1: Specification of the MQ gas sensors [25]
Table 5.1: Reaction in RHGS-CS [29]
Table 5.2: Compositions & Characteristics of Syngas [31]
Table 7.1: Obtained Heating Values of Gases for Different Conditions [61]
ix
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Alternative energy sources, like the use of biomass, is becoming of interest to people from
around the world. This is because the supply of fossil fuel is becoming scarce causing its price to
be costly for domestic households as well as for industrial sector. If fossil fuel will be continually
tapped, however, the cost to utilize it will be very expensive. In addition to this, emission of
burnt gases brought about by the production of this fossil fuel poses a lot of problem not only to
the economy but also to the environment.
Gasification technology has been developed over the last decades as an additional option for fuel
production, as well as chemical substances, at a competitive price when compared with crude-oil
based products. Even though such a technology has been extensively investigated and some
high-power plants are operating around the world, many unknown variables are yet to be
evaluated especially when related to operational conditions. Gasification plants have been
applied for thermal and gas fuel production, but other units, which operate at output power above
200 MW have also been used for liquid fuel production upon applied Fischer-Tropsch
technology. However, the main development has been performed when using coal as energetic
but the possibility on using biomasses for this purpose must be considered. In this last case, the
use of waste biomasses can and should be applied for thermal and fuel gas production as an
alternative source of available power to be integrated in many countries’ energy matrix.
The principles of biomass gasification have been well known for over a century. By deriving
more useful energy out of a given amount of biomass, the technology offers great scope to
increase energy efficiency of furnaces and ovens that burn biomass, and to save thereby the
overall consumption of biomass resources such as trees. Industries like large-scale cooking, silk
reeling, dyeing and tobacco curing have been largely depending upon forest wood in direct
combustion mode for their process heat requirement. The direct combustion of biomass is
generally inefficient, smoky and has low degree of control. In the given situation, the most
promising energy option for biomass using industries is to shift to gasification technology which
1
can offer the advantages of commercial fuels like LPG, diesel and kerosene, but at much lower
costs.
The heat contents of biomass depending on water contents are shown in the Figure below:
Figure 1.1: Heat contents of biomass depending on water contents
2
Biomass is by far the dominant energy source in Bangladesh, accounting for approximately 67%
of the country total energy consumption (RWEDP 2000). The per capita energy consumption in
Bangladesh is one tenth of world average i.e. 6.27 GJ/year. Biomass fuels are using beyond their
regenerative limits (6% deforestation rate) due to high pressure of population. There is a severe
shortage of wood fuel in Bangladesh amounting 2.1 million cubic meters (RWEDP 1996). The
traditional biomass is not in an organized form specially; the loose biomass material is difficult
to use as fuel. Bangladesh is an agriculture based country and rice is the main crop accounting
76% of total agricultural cropped area and contributing 95% of cereal food for the nation. There
are main three biomass byproduct comes from rice viz. rice straw, rice husk and rice bran. Rice
straw and rice bran are used as feed for cattle, poultry, fish etc. and the rice husk is used as
energy. A significant amount of total national energy comes from rice biomass. Most of the
energy is being using in a conventional way although there are several efforts were given for the
development of the biomass energy technologies in Bangladesh.
1.1 Rice husk:

Rice Husk, which is one of the biomass fuel sources around the world, is still considered
untapped. In the Philippines, about 2 million metric tons of rice husks are produced annually.
And about 115 million metric tons is generated from various countries like China, India,
Indonesia, and other countries in Asia where rice is predominantly grown. In the Philippine
setting, this voluminous amount of agricultural wastes is commonly stacked at the back of rice
mills, dumped and burned on roadsides, or used as filling materials. There are instances in which
these wastes are used to produce carbonized rice husks. In the process of producing carbonized
rice husks, however, tremendous amount of smoke is emitted making it inefficient requiring for
immediate solution to make it environmentally sound.
Gasifying rice husk, that is burning it with limited amount of air, was found to be an effective
means of generating heat that can be utilized for various thermal applications and, at the same
time, mitigating smoke emission problem. Several studies in the past revealed that a bluish-flame
gas can be generated from rice husks when gasified. Recent developments on rice husk gasifier,
3
following an inverted down draft mode, underpins such claim that indeed a very clean gas can be
produced from gasifying rice husks. However, most of the systems developed operate on a batch
mode while most of the industry applications require a continuous mode
Rice husk can be used for power generation through either the system or gasification route. For
small scale power generation, the gasification route has attracted more attention as a small steam
power plant is very inefficient and is very difficult to maintain due to the presence of a boiler. In
addition, for rice mill with diesel engines, the gas produced form rice husk can be used in the
existing engine in a dual fuel operation.
Attempts have been made in several rice producing countries in Asia to develop rice husk
gasification plants for power generation and in some countries rice husk gasification plant have
been produced for commercial purpose. However, this technology is not well proven at present
and the problems arising from tar reaching the engine are still being experienced even in the
commercial systems. Further research and development work needs to be undertaken to improve
this technology.
1.2 Wood Chips
Woodchips are a medium-sized solid material made by cutting, or chipping, larger pieces
of wood.
Woodchips may be used as a biomass solid fuel and are raw material for producing wood pulp.
They may also be used as an organic mulch in gardening, landscaping, restoration ecology,
bioreactors for denitrification and mushroom cultivation. According to the different chemical and
mechanical properties of the masses, the wood logs are mostly peeled, and the bark chips and the
wood chips are processed in different processes. The process of making wood chips is called
wood chipping and is done with a wood chipper.
Woodchips have been traditionally used as solid fuel for space heating or in energy plants to
generate electric power from renewable energy. The newer fuel systems for heating use
woodchips. The advantage of woodchips is cost. The use of woodchips in automated heating
systems, is based on a robust technology. Coal power plants have been converted to run on
4
woodchips, which is fairly straightforward to do, since they both use an identical steam
turbine heat engine, and the cost of woodchip fuel is comparable to coal.
Solid biomass is an attractive fuel for addressing the concerns of the energy crisis and climate
change, since the fuel is affordable, widely available, close to carbon neutral and thus climate-
neutral in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2), since in the ideal case only the carbon dioxide which
was drawn in during the tree’s growth and stored in the wood is released into the atmosphere
again. It is sustainable as long as crops are allowed to regrow; In most cases, biomass is not
carbon neutral wood is not regrown and the efficiency of biomass operations produce more
pollutants than the processes they replace. Woodchips, and bark chips, can be used as bulking
agents in industrial composting of municipal biodegradable waste, particularly bio solids.
Woodchip biomass does not have the waste disposal issues of coal and nuclear power, since
wood ash can be used directly as a mineral-rich plant fertilizer.
Just like the Rice Husk, Wood Chips can also be gasified in a downdraft gasifier. Wood chips
were burnt with a limited amount of air for generating heat. This heat can be used in several
thermal applications. By gasifying wood chips a yellowish flame was found.
Wander et al. (2004) reported that the technology of wood gasification can produce a gas capable
of being burned in an internal combustion engine, as long as it is appropriately cleaned. Results
from the gasification of oak sawdust in a pilot plant were reported by Beck and Wang (1980).
The off-gas yield ranged from 1.1 m3/kg at 600oC to 1.3 m3/kg at 800oC and the heating value
was greater than 11.2 MJ/m3for all temperatures.
5
1.3 Sugarcane Bagasse
Sugarcane Bagasse is another important source of biomass solid fuel. It is the fibrous matter
that remains after sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice. It is the main byproduct of
sugarcane mill, ready available at the production site so that it may be a suitable raw material for
the production of biofuels, chemicals and electricity.
Bagasse is commonly used as a substitute for wood for the production of pulp, paper and board.
Bagasse is often used as a primary fuel source for sugar mills; when burned in quantity, it
produces sufficient heat energy to supply all the needs of a typical sugar mill, with energy to
spare. To this end, a secondary use for this waste product is in cogeneration, the use of a fuel
source to provide both heat energy, used in the mill, and electricity, which is typically sold on to
the consumer electricity grid. The resulting CO2 emissions are less than the amount of CO2 that
the sugarcane plant absorbed from the atmosphere during its growing phase, which makes the
process of cogeneration greenhouse gas-neutral.
Sugarcane Bagasse was gasified in the presence of oxygen in the downdraft gasifier. The
gasification corresponds to a thermal conversion process of the biomass into reactive
atmosphere. The pyrolysis and gasification processes have the potential to transform crushed
sugarcane bagasse to gases, which are mainly composed of H2, CO, CO2 and CH4. Anukam et
al. investigated the gasification of bagasse and claimed that bagasse have high volatile matter
content and low ash content and appears to be suitable for gasification.
6
Table 1.1: Proximate and ultimate analysis of sugarcane bagasse
7
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The process of producing energy using the gasification method has been in use for more than 180
years. Gasification was discovered independently in both France and England in 1798, and by
1850 the technology had been developed to the point that it was possible to light much of
London with manufactured gas or "town gas" from coal. During that time coal and peat were
used to power these plants. Initially developed to produce town gas for lighting and cooking in
the 1800s, this was replaced by electricity and natural gas, it was also used in blast furnaces but
the bigger role was played in the production of synthetic chemicals where it has been in use since
the 1920s. The need of other sources of gaseous fuel emerged in Starting about the time of World
War I, small gasifiers were developed around charcoal and biomass feedstocks to operate
vehicles, boats, trains, and small electric generators around 1923. Especially during the World
War II, the real need for fuel produced by gasification reemerged due to the shortage of
petroleum. Wood gas generators, called Gasogene were used to power motor vehicles in Europe.
By 1945 there were trucks, buses and agricultural machines that were powered by gasification. It
is estimated that there were close to 9,000,000 vehicles running on producer gas all over the
world.
Since then many researchers have been conducted relating to dry and wet biomass gasification,
with various types of fuel, such as charcoal, wood pellets and chips, straw pellets, coconut husks,
bagasse, cotton stalk, rice husk etc.
2.1 Review on Rice Husk Gasification

The rice husk gas stove development in the Philippines started way back in 1986 when the
Department of Agriculture –International Rice Research Institute (DA-IRRI) Program for Small
Farm Equipment, headed by Dr. Robert Stickney, developed and introduced the first downdraft
rice husk gasifier stove. The potential of this technology as a replacement to the use of wood fuel
and wood charcoal for domestic cook stoves led the Department of Agricultural Engineering,
8
College of Agriculture, Central Philippine University, Iloilo City (DAE-CA-CPU) to further
develop a similar technology in 1987. With some problems encountered, especially in the
excessive tar produced from the gasification of rice husks, the rice husk gas stove technology
was left on hold for a moment. In 2000, with the establishment of the Appropriate Technology
Center (ATC) under the Department, different designs of cook stoves were developed utilizing
rice husk as fuel. Through a collaborative program with The Asian Alliance of Appropriate
Technology Practitioner Inc. (APROTECH ASIA) and the Asia Regional Cook Stove Program
(ARECOP), the Author was given an opportunity to attend the Training on Wood Gasifier Stove
at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand in 2003. In this training, an Inverted Down-
Draft (IDD) or Top-Lit Updraft (T- LUD) wood gasifier was demonstrated by a Sri Lankan
participant, was found promising to be used for rice husks as fuel without experiencing the
problems encountered in the previous designs orifice husk gasifier. In the late 2004, a proto-type
rice husk gasifier stove following the IDD/T-LUD concept was fabricated as a student project.
Performance test and evaluation which were carried out in early 2005, showed that rice husk fuel
for IDD/T-LUD gasifier was proven to be a good alternative technology for the conventional
LPG stoves. After six months of continued development, a commercial model of the gasifier
stove was introduced in the market for utilization.
After this a Two-burner continuous-type rice husk gas stove developed for household/small
cottage industry (November 2011) was developed by Alexis Bolenio in accordance with
Emmanuel Sicat, and Francisco Cuaresma (Center for Rice Husk Energy Technology, CLSU-
CRHET Rice Husk Project, College of Engineering, Central Luzon State University, Science
City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines). The advantage features of this stove are:
(1) Uses rice husks as fuel;
(2) Produces combustible gases for cooking;
(3) Continues operation until all cooking preparations are finished;
(4) Fast ignition of fuel and almost no smoke during operation;
(5) Operates on AC line or on DC using a battery;
(6) Low CO2 and black carbon emissions;
9
(7) Simple design and fabrication making the technology affordable;
(8) Safe to operate; and
(9) Burned rice husks can be used as soil conditioner.
Another Continuous Flow Rice Husk Gasifier was developed by Alexis T. Belonio, Daniel A. H.
Belonio, and Lucio Larano for various thermal applications such as cooking, drying, kiln firing,
baking, and others. The technology follows the principle of a moving-bed, down-draft reactor
converting raw rice husks into combustible gases that is rich in carbon monoxide (CO) and
hydrogen (H2). Several models of this design were used in various places for various thermal
applications. Some of them are:
 The CFRHG Model-40D Used for Drying Paddy Seeds in Nueva Ecija, Philippines.
 The CFRHG Model-45D Used for Drying Shredded Plasticsin Tangerang, West Java,
Indonesia.
 The CFRHG Model-60D Used for Paint Factory in Tegal City, Central Java, Indonesia.
 The CFRHG Model-80D Used for Drying Food Products in Tarlac City, Philippines
 The CFRHG Model-100D Used for Baking Rubber in North Cotabato, Philippines.
 The CFRHG Model-120D Used for Torrefying Rice Husks in Vung Tau Province,
Vietnam.
Again improved version of CFRHS stove was developed for household chores having single or
double burner by Alexis Bolenio (June 2012). Another RH gas burner was developed for
different bakery purposes.
In the twentieth anniversary year of T-LUD gasification there were nine (9) accomplishments in
three categories:
A. Reed’s Woodgas Campstove [with battery-powered forced air]
B. Anderson’s Juntos “Model B” T-LUD gasifier [with natural-draft air]
C. Belonio’s Rice Husk T-LUD gasifier [with electricity-powered forced air]
10
Another research was done from the ‘School of Electrical Engineering, KIIT University
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, ABIT, Cuttack’ named “Biomass
gasification by the use of Rice Husk Gasifier”. They used Rice Husk as the main fuel. The main
purpose of this Rice Husk Gasification Power Generation Project was to save energy, reduce
pollution, extensive use local rich biomass resources, circulation fluidized bed gasification power
generation technology converting biomass to green electricity. Power plant will not discharge
pollution due to adopt biomass as fuel materials. Biomass resource achieve high efficiency
utilization in order to best using rice husk resource, it is intended to collocate one set of 2MW
circulation fluidized bed biomass gasification furnace, 2set purification system 5set fuel gas
genset engine for this project to supply heat, electricity. Gasification furnace gasified biomass
into fuel gas, which access to purification system for removing dust, tar and other impurity. In
India a project on Rice Husk gasifier was done for Melting and Reheating process.
Another research was made by the ‘Microenergy international Gmbh’ (Product catalogue 2013).
The purpose was described as “from waste to fuel - turning rice husk into cheap, clean energy for
cooking”. This low-cost and clean-burning stove utilizes rice husk as fuel to cater to domestic
rural households and small cottage industries where abundance of rice husk is accessible. It is
estimated that a ton of rice husk has a direct energy conversion of about 23 tanks of 11 kg LPG
fuel thereby significantly reducing expenditure on conventional fuel sources. The production of
combustible gases, primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen, takes place by oxidizing the
biomass fuel with a limited amount of air. Gasification of rice husks is achieved by controlling
the air supply with a small fan.
A recent study has been made in Burma on Biomass (Rice Husk) Gasification for electricity
project by Energy Research and Development Institute, Chiang Mai University. Another
research has been made in Cambodia named “Rice Husk gasification for Electricity generation in
Cambodia in December 2014” by Hong Nam Nguyen and Minh Ha-Duong. They reported that
there are number of number of plants have been established in Cambodia and operating
successfully. Recently, there are some research activity is going on around the world like Kenya
and Bangladesh.
11
2.2 Reviews On Wood Chips Gasification:
Wood Chips were used for gasification process since a very long time. Wood Chips are a good
source of solid biomass.
Wood chips are gasified in Denmark for generating heat in ‘District Heating Plant Harbore’. An
updraft Gasifier is used here. After several years of development work the first gasification plant
was put into commercial operation in 1993 which supplies heat to approx. 560 consumers to the
municipal building of the town. In the course of 2001 the district heating plant was converted in
CHP (Combined Heat and Power) and was taken into commercial operation. Today the gasifier
is fully automated and produces more than 95% of the district heating requirement of the town of
Harbore.
The Borealis Wood Power plant, in Vienna, Austria, operates on the principle of wood
gasification with the input of dry wood chips and the output of wood gas. This plant consists of a
gasification unit that processes wood chips to produce wood gas and a CHP unit that generates
electric and thermal power. With over 200 systems in field operation since 2009 shows how
robust and reliable the technology is.
The Holz-Kraft company has made a wood cogeneration plant that has been used in Europe,
Asia, and North America in Agriculture and forestry, hotels, restaurants, and heat grids powered
with biomass electricity and warmth from wood gasifier. According to the principles of
cogeneration, the Spanner Wood Cogeneration System converts wood chips into biomass
electricity and warmth with high efficiency.
A research is done on “Potentiality of Biomass Energy for Electricity Generation in Bangladesh”

in Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. This research includes proper investigation on availability,
proper selection and quality of biomass (Rice husk and Wood Chips) throughout the country and
utilization of by-product released by the plant. In addition, it includes how ash generated from
the biomass is processed to produce silica and calcium carbonate through silica precipitation
method in order to minimize the production cost.
12
2.3 Reviews on Sugarcane Bagasse:
Sugarcane Bagasse is also used in gasification technology as a good source of biomass fuel.
In 2012, a research on gasification of Sugarcane Bagasse was made by I.I Ahmed and A.K.
Gupta (www.sciencedirect.com).
In Brazil, an Exergy analysis of Sugarcane Bagasse gasification was made by Luiz Felipe
Pellegrini, Silvio de Oliveira Jr. in April 2007. Another study was made by Suleiman Jose
Hasuani, Manoel Regis Lima Verde leal and Isaias de Carvalho Macedo in 2005 using sugarcane
bagasse for power generation, published by PNUD and CTC, Piracicaba, Brazil.
Another experimental study of syngas from Sugarcane pyrolysis for fuel cell applications was
made by Saleh Al Arni, Barbara Bosio, Elisabeth Arato in January, 2010 (vol.35(1):29-35). This
present study shows that the syngas obtained from the sugarcane biomass (about 40%) can be
converted into electricity using a fuel cell system with a high efficiency.
Another research in Indonesia shows the “Torrefaction of Indonesian Sugarcane Bagasse to

improve Bio-syngas quality for gasification process” published in Energy Procedia, April 2015.
This preliminary work features an experimental investigation of torrefaction process of
Indonesian Sugarcane bagasse. Temperature of torrefaction varies from 150, 175, 200, 225, 250,
and 300◦C. For bagasse gasification process, the optimum temperature of dry torrefaction is
150◦C. At this temperature the yield of syngas will be higher than the others.
A development of sugarcane leaf gasifier was done in Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute
(NARI), Maharashtra, India. This study reports the development of a gasifier running on
sugarcane leaves for generating electricity. This study reports the development of a gasifier
running on sugarcane leaves. A 15 kVA diesel generator set was operated for over 200 h using
this gasifier. About 15–28% by weight of the fuel was converted into char with a calorific value
of ∼19 MJ kg−1. This char, when mixed with a suitable binder and briquetted, formed an
excellent fuel for wood stoves. An economic analysis using the Levelised Annual Cost (LAC)
method showed that such gasifiers are more suited for direct heat applications than for shaft
power applications at the present level of technology.
13
In Bangladesh, a study has been done on the prospects of Bagasse Gasification Technology for
electricity generation in Sugar Industries. The Research estimated that The potential of power
generation from bagasse by gasification is around 100MWe in Bangladesh over the year. The
prospects of bagasse gasification for power generation and the technological aspects of the
gasification process as well as environmental effects have been studied in Dept. of Mechanical
Engineering, Rajshahi Universiy of Engineering and Technology.
14
CHAPTER 3
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are:
 Detailed analysis of syngas that are produced from the gasification stove by gasifying
Rice Husk, Wood Chips and Sugarcane Bagasse. Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a fuel gas
mixture consisting primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and very often some carbon
dioxide. The main purpose was to analyze the particles (CO, H2 and CH4 mainly), their
percentage present in the gas and the flammability of the gases found by combusting the
mentioned biofuels.
 Research of a better and economical machine for the gasification process.
 Analysis the comparison among different dry biofuels that can be gasified according to
their performance, acceptability, cost efficiency, and mainly environmental aspects.
 Analysis of the proper ways to ignite the biofuels, gasify them and burn the produced
syngas.
15
CHAPTER 4
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

The construction and fabrication of the Gasification Stove was done during the sessional of
Instrumentation & Measurement (ME 3110) in Third Year First semester. An additional PVC
pipe was attached to analyze the produced syngas by the MQ sensors.
The main components of the Gasification stove are described below:
4.1 Hopper
The feed hopper serves as the storage for the fuel. It is located on the top of burning chamber.
This device is provided with a door that can be opened for easy disposal of fuel.
Height of this component is 6 inch. The diameter of the upper circle is 10 inch and lower circle is
7 inch. The funnel shaped hopper, which served as a reservoir for the fuel material, had a
capacity of about 1 kg of fuel.
4.2 Char chamber
Where the char is deposited is called char chamber. The temperature in this zone is about 50°C -
87°C. It is produced from the gasifier is completely black, which is good for soil conditioning.
Various fuels are to generate gas. These fuels contain about 75 % organic volatile matter and the
balance 25 % of the weight of these fuels are converted into ash during the firing process,
is known as char or ash. This ash in turn contains around 85 % - 90 % amorphous silica.
16
4.3 Reactor
Reactor is the most important part of gasifier. In this part gasification is done. The fuel from the
hopper comes to the reactor & the main reaction occurs here.
For Hopper, Char Chamber & Reactor only one cylinder is used. The CAD of these parts is
given below.
Figure 4.1: Hopper, Char Chamber & Reactor
4.4 Blower
The air was supplied to the reactor by one identical air supply units. The unit consisted of a
blower, a pressure valve, a main valve to control the air flow rate, a steel pipe having an inner
diameter of 50 mm. An electric blower (600W) is used to supply the required air into the
combustion chamber so that the fuel can easily be burnt.
17
Figure 4.2: Blower
4.5 Scraper
Scraper is one of the most important elements of this set up. Here it is used to remove the char
from the combustion chamber. It’s derived manually after every five minutes. It’s built with a
shaft and a net. The net should have ability to resist high temperature and a pressure.
Figure 4.3: Scrapper
18
4.6 Gas Chamber
It is the chamber where produced gas is reserved. Height of the gas chamber is 29 inch and the
diameter is 7 inch.
Figure 4.4: Gas Chamber
4.7 L-shaped Air Flow Pipe
It is used to flow the air to the reactor from the blower. It is specially designed as L shaped so
that it can flow the air directly to the center of the reactor.
19
Figure 4.5: L-shaped Pipe
4.8 Voltage Regulators
A series of fan regulators was used as voltage regulator for controlling the speed of the blower.
These are old fan regulators which are not intensively used anymore in the household. These
I III II
Figure 4.6: Voltage Regulators

20
regulator uses electrical induction for varying the voltage, their working principle is same as a
transformer. A single regulator was not enough to lower the speed of the blower to a suitable
level where the optimum flow rate of air for the proper gasification process. Therefore 3
regulators were connected in series for cutting the voltage down to a certain level so that the
blower could be run in the required speed. It also gave much flexibility to the control of the
speed of the blower. Certain combinations of the knobs for the 3 regulators were picked to get
the required flow rate from the blower. Each regulator has 5 speed levels. The regulators were
marked as I, II & III. As an example, a 1-1-5 combination yielded a velocity of air about 2.0 m/s.
4.9 Exhaust Pipe

This pipe is situated on top of the gas chamber. It’s an inverse U shaped PVC pipe. The shape is
made by using two elbow joints. The produced combustible syngas flows through the gas
chamber & exits from it. The gas is burnt at the end of this pipe.
Figure 4.7: Exhaust Pipe
21
4.10 Thermocouple
A thermocouple was used to read the temperature of the produced gas. The input pin of the
thermocouple was connected to the outer exhaust pipe.
Figure 4.8: Thermocouple
22
4.11 Anemometer
Anemometer was used to measure the velocity of the air coming out from the blower nozzle. By
using this velocity mass flow rate was calculated.
Figure 4.9: Anemometer
4.12 Microcontrollers and Sensors for Gas Analysis
4.12.1 Arduino UNO
The Arduino UNO is a microcontroller based board. It has been used to control the gas sensors
that are used for analyzing the flu gas. Based on the ATmega328P microcontroller, it has 14
digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz
quartz crystal, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header and a reset button. It contains
everything needed to support the microcontroller. It can be linked with a computer directly via
the USB port and can be programmed using the Arduino software. Analog data from the sensors
were obtained and used for the experiments using the Arduino UNO board.
23
Figure 4.10: Arduino UNO with Labels
4.12.2 Gas Sensors
MQ-4, MQ-7 and MQ-8 gas sensors were used to measure the amount of Methane, Carbon
Monoxide and Hydrogen respectively. These sensors are based on Al2O3 ceramic tube and SnO2
sensitive layer measuring electrode and heater are fixed into a crust made by plastic and stainless
steel net. These gas sensors are highly sensitive to the relevant gas. They have fast response,
stable data output and long lasting.
24
Table 4.1: Specification of the MQ gas sensors
Sensor MQ-4 MQ-7 MQ-8
Methane (CH4) , Natural

Detection Carbon Monoxide (CO) Hydrogen (H2)
gas
Circuit Voltage 5V±0.1 5V±0.1 5V±0.1
Using Temperature -10° C to 50°C -20° C to 50°C -10° C to 50°C
Range 200-10000ppm 20-2000ppm 100-10000ppm
Heating consumption less than 750mw About 350mW less than 800mW
CH4 Detector CO Detector H2 Detector
Figure 4.11: The Sensors
25
4.12.3 USB cable for Arduino and USB to 5V Power Cable
There is a specified port in the Arduino UNO board that connects with a USB cable directly to
the computer for programming and controlling the Arduino. This USB cable ensures the
connection between the Arduino and the computer, and also powers the Arduino board.
A modified USB cable is used as a 5V DC Power for the sensors. It takes power from another
USB port of the computer and powers the Sensors.
Figure 4.12: USB cable for Arduino UNO Figure 4.13: USB cable for sensor power
26
CHAPTER 5
THEORY OF GASIFICATION
5.1 Gasification
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil fuel based carbonaceous materials into
carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This is achieved by reacting the material at high
temperatures (>700 °C), without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam.
The resulting gas mixture is called syngas (from synthesis gas or synthetic gas) or producer gas
and is itself a fuel. The power derived from gasification and combustion of the resultant gas is
considered to be a source of renewable energy if the gasified compounds were obtained from
biomass.
The advantage of gasification is that using the syngas is potentially more efficient than direct
combustion of the original fuel because it can be combusted at higher temperatures or even in
fuel cells, so that the thermodynamic upper limit to the efficiency defined by Carnot's rule is
higher or not applicable. Syngas may be burned directly in gas engines, used to produce
methanol and hydrogen, or converted via the Fischer–Tropsch process into synthetic fuel.
Gasification can also begin with material which would otherwise have been disposed of such as
biodegradable waste. In addition, the high-temperature process refines out corrosive ash
elements such as chloride and potassium, allowing clean gas production from otherwise
problematic fuels. Gasification of fossil fuels is currently widely used on industrial scales to
generate electricity.
Depending on the carbon and hydrogen content of the biomass and the properties of the gasifier,
the heating value of the producer gas, ranges between 4 to 20 MJ/m3. The heating value also
depends on the type of gasifier agent or the oxidant. The oxidant used can be air, pure oxygen,
steam or a mixture of these gases. Air-based gasifiers typically produce a producer gas
containing a relatively high concentration of nitrogen with a low heating value between 4 and 6
27
MJ/m3. Oxygen and steam 2 based gasifiers produce gas containing a relatively high
concentration of hydrogen and CO with a heating value between 10 and 20 MJ/m3.
In the gasification of fine, undensified biomass such as rice hulls, it is necessary to blow air into
the reactor by means of a fan or blower. This creates very high gasification temperature, as high
as 1000 C. Above the gasification zone, a bed of fine and hot char is formed, and as the gas is
blow forced through this bed, most complex hydrocarbons are broken down into simple
components of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
5.2 Chemical Reactions inside the Reactor

Rice husk gasification is the process of converting the bio fuels into combustible carbon
monoxide by thermo-chemical reaction of the oxygen in the air and the carbon available in this
material husk during combustion. In complete combustion of fuel, the process takes place with
excess air. In gasification process, on the other hand, it is accomplished with excess carbon. In
order to gasify rice husks, about 30 to 40% of the stoichiometric air) is needed.
Gasification of rice husks is accomplished in an air sealed chamber, known as the reactor.
Limited amount of air is introduced by a fan into the fuel column to convert rice husks into
carbon-rich char so that by thermo-chemical reaction it would produce carbon monoxide,
hydrogen, and methane gases, which are combustible when ignited.
Basically, the gas produced during gasification is composed of: (a) carbon monoxide, (b)
hydrogen, (c) methane, (d) carbon dioxide, and (e) water vapor. The chemistry of gasification
and the reactions of gases during the process are illustrated in the next page.
28
Table 5.1: Reaction in RHGS-CS
Reaction Type Reaction Equation
Combustion C (s) + O2(g) = CO2 (g)
Water Gas C (s) + H2O (g) = CO (g) + H2 (g)
Water Shift Reaction CO (g) + H2O (g) = CO2 (g) + H2(g)
Boudouard Reaction C(s) + CO2(g) = 2CO (g)
Methane Reaction C (s) + 2H2(g) = CH4 (g)
Carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane are combustible gases while the carbon dioxide and
vapor are not. Some reports claim that there is nitrogen gas in trace amount during gasification
of rice husks. In a gasifier, the carbonaceous material undergoes several different processes. The
above reactions in the table is described below:
1. The dehydration or drying process occurs at around 100°C. Typically the resulting
steam is mixed into the gas flow and may be involved with subsequent chemical reactions,
notably the water-gas reaction if the temperature is sufficiently high enough.
2. The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process occurs at around 200-300°C. Volatiles are
released and char is produced, resulting in up to 70% weight loss. The process is dependent on
the properties of the carbonaceous material and determines the structure and composition of the
char, which will then undergo gasification reactions.
3. The combustion process occurs as the volatile products and some of the char reacts
with oxygen to primarily form carbon dioxide and small amounts of carbon monoxide, which
29
provides heat for the subsequent gasification reactions. Letting C represent a carbon-containing
organic compound, the basic reaction here C+O2 = CO2
4. The gasification process occurs as the char reacts with carbon and steam to produce
carbon monoxide and hydrogen, via the reaction C+H2O = H2+CO
5. In addition, the reversible gas phase water-gas shift reaction reaches equilibrium very
fast at the temperatures in a gasifier. This balances the concentrations of carbon monoxide,
steam, carbon dioxide and hydrogen CO+H2O = CO2+H2
In essence, a limited amount of oxygen or air is introduced into the reactor to allow some of the
organic material to be "burned" to produce carbon dioxide and energy, which drives a second
reaction that converts further organic material to hydrogen and additional carbon dioxide.
Further reactions occur when the formed carbon monoxide and residual water from the organic
material react to form methane and excess carbon dioxide (4CO+2H2O = CH4 +3CO2). This third
reaction occurs more abundantly in reactors that increase the residence time of the reactive gases
and organic materials, as well as heat and pressure.
5.3 Composition and Characteristics of the Producer Gas/ Syngas

Generally, the gas coming out of the rice husk gasifier, as shown in Table, consists
predominantly of CO, H2, CH4, CO2, N2 and water vapor. CO, H2, and CH4 are the combustible
gases while the remaining gases are non-combustible. The amount of CO varies from 15 to 30%
while H2 is 10 to 20%. CH4 is very much low.
Since rice husks gasifier operates at relatively high temperature inside the reactor. The amount of
CO2, also known as the greenhouse gas, varies from 5 to 15% which is half of the amount
derived when rice husks are burned by direct combustion. The heating value of gas ranges from
1200 to 1400 kcal/m3, with measured black carbon content of 10 to 50 g/m 3 and tar content of 56
to 100 mg/m3.
30
Table 5.2: Compositions & Characteristics of Syngas
Components Compositions and Amounts
CO 15-30 %
H2 10-20%
CH4 2-4%
CO2 5-15%
N2 45-60%
Water Vapor 6-8%
Heating Value 1,200 to 1400 kcal/m3
Black Carbon 10 to 50 µg/m3
Tar 56 to 100 mg/m3
5.4 Combustion of the produced gas/Syngas

The produced syngas is exposed to air form the gas chamber and then burnt manually using
matches. The gas is highly flammable; for that it is easy to ignite. From the produced gas, the
combustible gases are CO, H2 and CH4. They undergo combustion reaction in the presence of
oxygen as shown below:
2CO + O2= 2CO2; Energy = -110 KJ/Mol
CH4 + O2 = CO2 + H2O; Energy = -891 KJ/Mol
2H2 + O2 = 2H2O; Energy = -484 KJ/Mol
31
5.5 Air flow rate
A blower was used to introduce air into the reactor of the gasifier stove. The air velocity was
measured using an Anemometer. The flow rate was obtained from the following equation:
𝑚
𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 = Velocity of air obtained ( ) × Blower nozzle area (𝑚2 )
𝑠
Diameter of the blower nozzle = 0.023 m
𝜋(𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑜𝑧𝑧𝑙𝑒)2
Therefore, 𝐵𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑁𝑜𝑧𝑧𝑙𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = = 4.15 × 10−4 𝑚2
4
32
CHAPTER 6
EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY
6.1 Fuel Feeding
The fuel is fed to the hopper directly from above. The entire reactor area and the hopper is filled
with fuel down to the scrapper. When the machine starts the column gradually goes down for the
scrapper action as it is disposing the ash. The fuel from above helps the column to gradually go
down. The continuous system means that the fuel feeding is continuous and it can be refilled
while the machine is running.
6.2 Air flow system

Controlled air supply in the reactor is compulsory for the production of the syngas. The air flow
is maintained with a AC 220V blower with 600W of maximum power. The air flow line is
situated a few inches above the reactor, with a L-shaped angle welded with it. This enables the
air to come in direct contact with the reaction area of the reactor. About 0.5 to 2.5 m/s velocity is
usable for the normal operation, but optimal velocity is 1.5 to 2.0 m/s. The blower pressure is
also adequate so that the flow can reach the reactor through the column of rice husk.
6.3 Setting Up the Arduino UNO for gas analysis

The Arduino and the sensors are connected altogether according to the circuit diagram. The
Arduino board is connected with the computer via USB cable. The sensors are also supplied with
5V DC power from computer USB. The circuit diagram is the following:
33
Figure 6.1: Circuit diagram for Arduino and Sensors
Figure 6.2: Sensors connected to Arduino
34
6.4 Taking the Gas Concentration Readings
 After all the setups are done, the primary ignition is done and the blower is turned on.
 The gas in fed into the sensors directly. As the concentration changes the sensors sends
the analog signal to the computer rapidly and the data is shown in the serial monitor of
the Arduino software.
 The software is modified in such a way that it shows the reading change in every 2
seconds.
 From the blower startup the screen of the computer monitor in recorded with another
software. The whole process gas concentration from primary ignition to exhaustion of
fuel is recorded.
Figure 6.3: Obtaining the Gas Concentration
6.5 Primary Ignition & Start Up
Ignition of the fuel is difficult in the open air for the granular property of Rice husk. Igniting the
rest of the 2 biomass fuels are not much of a problem. In the presence of continuous controlled
35
air it incinerates gradually. The ignition process is done from the upper portion of the fuel
hopper. Before the ignition, a little amount of kerosene is used for the easy ignition only for the
rice husk. Afterwards, the ignition is done with matches or a stove igniter. The open top side of
the gasifier is closed with the cover tightly to prevent the gasifier from leakage of gas.
36
CHAPTER 7
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In gasification process, some data are obtained for different flow rates and masses. Three types
of solid biofuels (Rice Husk, Wood Chips and Sugarcane Bagasse) are used to produce gases for
the analysis. The data shows the PPM of the gases (CO, H2, CH4) and the temperature of the gas
and flame. Individual graphs are plotted for each data showing PPM vs Time (Before Ignition),
PPM vs Time (After Combustion) and PPM of Gases for Different Bio fuels.
7.1 Gas Concentration (Before Ignition and After Combustion)
Before Ignition
The first graphs of each set show the data obtained before the gas was ignited at the exhaust. At
the very beginning of the gasification process, it is seen that the PPM of the gases are less. This
initial gas is not combustible. The PPM of the combustible gases gradually increase with time. It
can also be seen that when the PPM of CH4 crosses the range of 400 PPM, ignition of the gas
occurs. From the inspection it can be said that the ignition of the gas starts when the PPM of
Methane reaches more than 400.
After Combustion
The combustion period varies for different masses for rice husk. The combustible concentration
lasts only for a few minutes. The gas in burned during this time. The second graphs of each set
show the data obtained after this period. This gives us an estimate of the nature of the gas after
the combustion period is over. From the inspection it is seen that when the PPM of Methane
reduces below 400 PPM, the gas stops to burn.
37
7.1.1 Rice Husk
For Rice Husk gasification analysis, four data were obtained for different masses and flow rate.
They are:
 For 200gm, Flow rate: 2.6ms-1

For the 1st set of graphs (Figure 7.1 & 7.2) which show the concentration for 200gm, Flow rate
2.6ms-1, shows that the syngas ignited after about 15 seconds the ignition of fuel is done. The
amount of methane went above 400 PPM as expected, and concentration of CO is higher than
that of CH4. For this amount of rice husk the syngas burned for about 200 seconds. It is seen that
in both the graphs amount of H2 was almost negligible as it was much less than both methane
and carbon monoxide. The flame color being yellowish also indicates the major amount of CH4
in the syngas and not H2. The 2nd graph shows that after the combustion was done data was taken
for 140 seconds.
For the 2nd set of graphs (Figure 7.3 & 7.4) which show the concentration for 250gm and same
flow rate as before, shows that the combustion of syngas occurs after 30 seconds after the
combustion of fuel. Syngas burned for 190 seconds in this case. There was some excess wind
from outside in this case of the experiment so the combustion period for syngas can be expected
a bit higher. Like the previous graphs the amount of CO in PPM is higher than CH4. For the 2nd
graph the data after combustion is taken for about 120 seconds. In this case PPM of CH4 is just
below 400 and PPM of CO is just below 500. But rest of the aspects are similar to the previous
set of graphs.
38
For the 3rd set of graphs (Figure 7.5 & 7.6) which show the concentration for 300gm, Flow rate
2.0ms-1, gives a higher combustion period of about 245 seconds, as here the amount of fuel is
increased. It took 55 seconds to ignite the syngas after the start of combustion of the fuel.
Information about the concentrations of the three gases for both the graphs are seems to be
similar with the previous graphs. A bit of fluctuation in the 2nd graph is observed here, but the
average is almost expected.
For the 4th set of graphs (Figure 7.7 & 7.8) which show the concentration for 350gm, Flow rate
2.0ms-1, it is observed that combustible gas is found after about 48 seconds when the ignition of
fuel is done. So almost no difference from the previous case of experiment. For both the graphs,
here again the standard values are observed for the gas concentration. We got the maximum
combustion period for this particular experiment of about 320 seconds. This is obviously due to
most amount of fuel being used for rice husk. The gas data was still taken up till 90 seconds after
the combustion of syngas is done.
From the observation, the following decisions can be made comparing the graphs for rice husk:
 Rice husk is more sustainable as biomass energy

 Higher mass of fuel yields longer combustion period
 Mass of fuel has no major significance on the concentration of different gases
 Rice husk was more difficult to ignite than the other fuels
39
1. For 200gm at 2.6ms-1
Figure 7.1: Gas Concentration - PPM vs Time (Before Ignition)

600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (Seconds)
Figure 7.2: Gas Concentration - PPM vs Time (After Combustion)

600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 380
Time (Seconds)
40
2. For 250gm at 2.6ms-1

700
600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Time (Seconds)

600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300
Time (Seconds)
41
3. For 300gm at 2.0ms-1
Figure 7.5: Gas Concentration - Time vs. PPM (Before Ignition)

500
450
400
350
300
PPM
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (Seconds)
Figure 7.6: Gas Concentration - Time vs. PPM (After Combustion)
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
250 270 290 310 330 350 370 390 410 430
Time (Seconds)
42
4. For 350gm at 2.0ms-1

500
450
400
350
300
PPM
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (Seconds)

500
450
400
350
300
PPM
250
200
150
100
50
0
340 360 380 400 420 440 460 480
Time (Seconds)
43
. 7.1.2 Wood Chips

Graphs are plotted for Wood Chips under two criteria, 100gm and 200gm for a constant
velocity of 2.0m/s. For two different regions two graphs are plotted (before ignition & after
combustion). These graphs show PPM vs. Time for different conditions.
If we analyze the graphs we see that in figure 7.9, before ignition the concentration of three
gases (CO, H2, CH4) gradually increases with time. After 30 seconds the concentration of three
gases rises to its maximum point. When the PPM of CH4 cross 400 the gas can be ignited.
Ignition starts from 36 seconds.
If we analyze the figure 7.10 we can see that combustion period is 100 seconds. After this the
concentration of three gases fluctuates & don’t show the constant PPM. That’s why gas can’t be
burnt.
Upon analyzing the two graphs for 200gm, from figure 7.11 we can see that same thing
happened in this graph. But in this graph we see that it takes more time to get desired
concentration. It took 90 seconds to get desired PPM. There may be some problems in burning.
In this data the hopper was fully loaded that’s why it took much time to get the desired
concentrated gas. In first few seconds the gases were not coming out because of too much fuels.
After 90 seconds the gas was ignited till the point where combustion stopped.
Figure 7.12 shows the concentration of gases after combustion. From this graph we also can see
the combustion period is 114 seconds. Though the concentration of CH4 rises over 400 PPM the
ignition can’t be possible for the fluctuation of concentration.
By comparing the graphs obtained so far, these decisions can be taken:
 Wood chips is the easiest fuel to ignite for starting of the gasification process
 Increasing the amount (mass) of fuel increased the combustion period also for wood
chips
 For the Wood Chips, the combustion time of the syngas is significantly lower than that of
Rice husk.
44
1. For 100gm, Flow rate: 2.0ms-1
Figure 7.9:
Figure 7.10:
45

800
700
600
500
PPM
400
300
200
100
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Time (Seconds)

500
450
400
350
300
PPM
250
200
150
100
50
0
200 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 280
Time (Seconds)
46
7.1.3 Sugarcane Bagasse

These are the results obtained from the experiment of gasification process for sugarcane bagasse.
The procedure was same like rice husk and wood chips. Three different masses for sugarcane
bagasse and kept the air velocity constant which was 2.0 m/s.
Figure 7.13 and 7.14 shows the values of gases before ignition and after combustion
respectively obtained from gasifying 100gm bagasse. Generally, when the PPM of CH4 crossed
400, we got the ignition point for rice husk and wood chips. But figure 7.13 shows that the PPM
of CH4 was above 700 and then the gas was ignited. This happened because of our delay of
igniting the gas. May be we could have found the ignition point earlier just like the other fuels.
The gas burned for 46seconds. Figure 7.14 shows the PPM of the gases after combustion. The
figure shows that the amount of CO is significantly high than CH4 and H2.
Figure 7.15 and 7.16 shows the values of gases obtained from gasifying 150gm bagasse. While
gasifying 150gm bagasse the graph shows that the PPM of CH4 has crossed 400 and reached
almost 500 and then we ignited the gas. The combustion period was 44 seconds. Generally
higher mass yielded higher combustion period but we got a little bit less time for this. This may
have happened due to the design fault of our gasifier. We also noticed some unburnt fuel when
we were removing the char. Figure 7.16 shows the values after combustion. Like the previous
one this one also shows that the amount of methane decreased and the amount of CO is
significantly high.
Figure 7.17 and 7.18 shows the values of gases obtained from gasifying 200gm bagasse. Figure
7.15 shows that the gas was ignited when the PPM of CH4 was above 300. We got the ignition
point earlier in this case because the gasifier was already hot as we took the value for 150gm just
before it. This lime the combustion lasted for 102 seconds. Figure 7.18 shows the data of after
combustion. Here there are some points where the PPM of CH4 is above 400 (almost 600 in
some points) but the gas is not combustible. The reason for this may be the unburnt fuel,
improper supply of air, fluctuation of air velocity from the blower etc.
47

900
800
700
600
500
PPM
400
300
200
100
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (Seconds)

500
450
400
350
300
PPM
250
200
150
100
50
0
60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160
Time (Seconds)
48

900
800
700
600
500
PPM
400
300
200
100
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time (Seconds)

600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130
Time (Seconds)
49

500
450
400
350
300
PPM
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time (Seconds)

700
600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210
Time (Seconds)
50
7.2 Gas Concentration for Specific Gases and Different Fuels
These graphs show the gas concentration of each specific gas for different fuels. All of the data
was obtained for 200g of fuel.
Before Ignition
The first graphs that is titled “Before ignition” show the data obtained before the gas was ignited
at the exhaust. It is seen that all the fuels didn’t produce combustible syngas at the same time. At
the end of each curve it is showing the point of the gas being ignited. So it took almost 20, 35
and 90 seconds to produce combustible gas for Rice Husk, Bagasse and Wood Chips
Respectively.
After Combustion
The Second graphs that are titled “After Combustion” are the data of gas concentration obtained
after the combustion of the syngas was finished. The produced syngas was not combustible
anymore in these concentrations. These date were taken only up till a few seconds after the gas
combustion as it is not significant. It is to be noted that only a small amount of difference of the
concentration was observed for all the gases for different fuels.
Comparison of Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Figure 7.19 & 7.20 in Article 7.2.1 shows the concentration of CO in the different biofuels that
we have tested. Lengths of the curves varied with time because 200gm of different fuels took
different amount of time to reach combustible state. The PPM for CO for all the fuels are close,
all of them has their highest PPM above 500. But for bagasse it went as high as 600 PPM. For
the second graph, the PPM dropped a little bit but not too much. PPM of all the gases here ranges
from 400 to 500. Rice husk and bagasse syngas are about 450 PPM on average, but wood chips
is a bit lower touching about 400 PPM.
51
Comparison of Methane (CH4)
Figure 7.21 & 7.22 in Article 7.2.2 shows the concentration of CH4 in the different biofuels that
have been tested. At the 1st graph, PPM of Rice husk seems to be around 450 PPM, while the
other two biofuels are seem to be having over 500 PPM of methane. Highest recorded PPM was
recorded for wood chips as almost 700. In the 2nd graph we can also see that the overall methane
dropped below 400 PPM for all the fuels. The lowest was recorded for wood chips at about 300
PPM average.
Comparison of Hydrogen (H2)
Figure 7.23 & 7.24 in Article 7.2.3 shows the concentration of H2 in the different biofuels that
have been tested. These set of graphs is almost similar to the previous gases, though not the
PPM. Hydrogen was insignificant for this gasification process as very little PPM is shown. At
startup, maximum PPM for Rice husk was found about 120, and about 200 for the other 2 fuels.
At after combustion, the syngas PPM is shown roughly about 150 for the fuels. Only a little bit
higher for rice husk at above 150 PPM but below 200 PPM.
52
7.2.1 Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Figure 7.19: CO Concentration of Different Fuels (Before Ignition)

700
600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Time (Seconds)
Rice Husk Wood Chips Bagasse
Figure 7.20: CO Concentration of Different Fuels (After Combustion)

600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
145 195 245 295 345
Axis Title
53
7.2.2 Methane (CH4)
Figure 7.21: CH4 Concentration of Different Fuels (Before Ignition)

800
700
600
500
PPM
400
300
200
100
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Time (Seconds)
Figure 7.22: CH4 Concentration of Different Fuels (After Combustion)

600
500
400
PPM
300
200
100
0
145 195 245 295 345
Axis Title
54
7.2.3 Hydrogen (H2)
Figure 7.23: H2 Concentration of Different Fuels (Before Ignition)

250
200
150
PPM
100
50
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Time (Seconds)
Figure 7.24: H2 Concentration of Different Fuels (After Combustion)

250
200
150
PPM
100
50
0
145 195 245 295 345
Axis Title
55
7.3 Air Fuel Ratio
7.3.1 Sample: Rice Husk
Condition
Fuel = 300g = 0.3kg
Velocity (V) = 2m/s
Density of Air = 1.225 𝐾𝑔/𝑚3
Duration of Combustible Gas obtained: 197s
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 (𝐴) = 4.15 × 10−4 𝑚2
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 (𝑄) = 𝐴 × 𝑉
= (4.15 × 10−4 ) × 2
= 8.30 × 10−4 𝑚3 /𝑠
Total Volume of air Entered = (8.30 × 10−4 × 197) 𝑚3
= 0.16351 𝑚3
Therefore, Mass of air Entered = 0.16351 × 1.225
= 0.2003 Kg
Now,
𝑨𝒊𝒓 𝟎.𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟑 𝑲𝒈
= = 𝟎. 𝟔𝟔𝟕 For Rice Husk
𝑭𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝟎.𝟑 𝑲𝒈
56
7.3.2 Sample: Wood Chips
Condition
Fuel = 200g = 0.2kg
Velocity (V) = 2m/s
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 (𝐴) = 4.15 × 10−4 𝑚2
= (4.15 × 10−4 ) × 2
= 8.30 × 10−4 𝑚3 /𝑠
= 0.09462 𝑚3
= 0.1159095 Kg
Now,
𝑨𝒊𝒓 𝟎.𝟏𝟏𝟓𝟗𝟎𝟗𝟓 𝑲𝒈
= = 𝟎. 𝟓𝟕𝟗𝟓 for Wood Chips
𝑭𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝟎.𝟐 𝑲𝒈
57
7.3.3 Sugarcane Bagasse
Condition
Fuel = 150g = 0.15kg
Velocity (V) = 2m/s
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 (𝐴) = 4.15 × 10−4 𝑚2
= (4.15 × 10−4 ) × 2
= 8.30 × 10−4 𝑚3 /𝑠
= 0.03652 𝑚3
= 0.044737 Kg
Now,
𝑨𝒊𝒓 𝟎.𝟎𝟒𝟒𝟕𝟑𝟕 𝑲𝒈
= = 𝟎. 𝟐𝟗𝟖 For Sugarcane Bagasse
𝑭𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝟎.𝟏𝟓 𝑲𝒈
58
7.4 Heating Value of Syngas
The heating value is the amount of heat produced by combustion a unit quantity of a fuel. There
are several ways to measure the heating value of gases. We have followed the following method
which was found from the research article “Computer Simulation of the Mass and Energy
Balance during Gasification of Sugarcane Bagasse”, Anukam, A., Meyer, E., Okoh, O. &
Mamphweli S. (2014) to calculate the heating value of the produced syngas.
Heating values can be of two types. Lower heating value and Higher Heating value.
The lower heating value (also known as net calorific value) of a fuel is defined as the amount of
heat released by combusting a specified quantity (initially at 25°C) and returning the temperature
of the combustion products to 150°C, which assumes the latent heat of vaporization of water in
the reaction products is not recovered.
The higher heating value (also known gross calorific value or gross energy) of a fuel is defined
as the amount of heat released by a specified quantity (initially at 25°C) once it is combusted and
the products have returned to a temperature of 25°C, which takes into account the latent heat of
vaporization of water in the combustion products
As the biofuels had some moisture content, and this moisture was also vaporized during the
combustion we can say that the heating value we calculated for the syngas is the lower heating
value. We converted the PPM of the gases into percentage of moles and from that we calculated
the heating value for all the masses of the biofuels.
Heating value of syngas from gasification process can be obtained in MJ/Kg from the following
equation.
(𝐶𝑂𝑣𝑜𝑙 × 𝐻𝑉𝐶𝑂) + (𝐻2𝑣𝑜𝑙 ×𝐻𝑉𝐻2 ) + (𝐶𝐻4𝑣𝑜𝑙 ×𝐻𝑉𝐶𝐻4 )

HVSyngas = [ ]
100%
59
Where,
𝐶𝑂𝑣𝑜𝑙 = Volume concentration of carbon monoxide gas in percentage
𝐻2𝑣𝑜𝑙 = Volume concentration of hydrogen gas in percentage
𝐶𝐻4𝑣𝑜𝑙 = Volume concentration of methane gas in percentage
𝐻𝑉𝐶𝑂 = Heating value of carbon monoxide gas (usually 12.64MJ/kg by standard)
𝐻𝑉𝐻2 = Heating value of hydrogen gas (10.1MJ/kg by standard)
𝐻𝑉𝐶𝐻4 = Heating value of methane gas (39.76MJ/kg by standard)
Sample Calculation:
(0.0543 × 12.64) + (0.0128 ×10.1) + (0.0436 × 39.76)

HVSyngas = [ ]
100%
= 2.549 × 10−2 𝑀𝐽/𝐾𝐺
60
Table 7.1: Obtained Heating Values of Gases for Different Conditions
Fuel Conditions CO H2 CH4 Heating Combus

Value -tion
Period
Mass Velocity PPM % mol PPM % mol PP % mol MJ/Kg Seconds

(gm) (m/s) M
Rice 200 2.6 543 0.0543 128 0.0128 436 0.0436 0.02549 210
Husk
250 2.6 602 0.0602 289 0.0289 522 0.0522 0.031283 160
300 2.0 437 0.0437 146 0.0146 431 0.0431 0.024139 198
350 2.0 432 0.0432 137 0.0137 418 0.0418 0.02346 300
Wood 100 2.0 440 0.044 105 0.0105 430 0.043 0.0237189 100
Chips
200 2.0 543 0.0543 187 0.0187 680 0.068 0.035789 114
Sugar - 100 2.0 592 0.0592 157 0.0157 759 0.0759 0.039246 46
cane
Bagasse 150 2.0 512 0.0512 148 0.0148 786 0.0786 0.039217 44
200 2.0 463 0.0463 149 0.0149 302 0.0302 0.0193647 102
7.5 Discussion
The heating value of gas that we have obtained is significantly lower than the heating value that
was obtained from various researches. The highest values that were obtained from this
experiment was approximately 0.031 MJ/Kg for Rice Husk, 0.0357 MJ/Kg for Wood Chips and
0.039 MJ/Kg for Sugarcane Bagasse. From different authors, this value that are obtained was
much higher than this experiment.
This difference of heating value is due to some drawbacks that we have faced while analyzing
the gases using the sensors. First of all, the gases were tested in an open space. We might get a
61
better result in PPM if the gases were analyzed with an enclosed system. Again many of the
authors analyzed the gases in a more professional manner, by using Gas Chromatography.
In some cases, higher masses of fuel didn’t produce higher time of combustion for the syngas.
For 200gm of Rice husk, gas burnt for 210 seconds and for 250gm, it burnt only for 160 seconds.
Similar case happened when 100gm of Sugarcane bagasse produced combustible gas for 46
seconds and 150gm produced combustible gas only for 44 seconds. For some cases, the fuel
inside the reactor was remained unburnt even after the gasification process in done. This might
be due to the design of the gasifier. Again the flow rate sometimes fluctuated from the blower. In
some inspection there was outside wind at the exhaust of the gas pipe, so it was difficult to keep
the gas ignited. These are the factor why the increment of the amount of fuel didn’t increase the
combustion period.
There were some researches on biomass gasification in Bangladesh. Some of them were cited in
the literature review of this publication. Most of them were focused on electricity generation and
also for industrial uses. In our experiment we were trying to find some alternative fuel to be
gasified and also to compare the different fuels. Along with the 3 types of fuels that we used,
dried tea leaves were also tested if it can be gasified. But we were unable to produce any
combustible gas from tea leaves. Also the concentrations were not significant.
62
CHAPTER 8
LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RECOMMENDATION
8.1 Limitations
 AC power is required to run the blower for the machine. For this, the stove can’t be used
where electricity is not available.
 The working process is not automatic. Manual operation is needed like supply of fuel, ash
removal, air flow controlling etc.
 The syngas is toxic as it is an incomplete combustion process. This produces CO, CO2,
and N2 etc. Inhaling these gases directly cause headache, breathing problem etc.
 Gasifier isn’t 100% sealed that’s why some produced gases go out. So correct values
couldn’t be taken.
 Generally, gases are analyzed using Gas Chromatography Sensors. These are used in
analytical chemistry for analyzing compounds that can be vaporized without
decomposition. These sensors give almost correct value of the gases present in the
compound. In this experiment, MQ gas sensor modules for Arduino were used to analyze
the gases present in biofuels (Rice Husk, Wood Chips and Sugarcane bagasse). These
sensors require much time to calibrate and do not give the exact values of the gases. So
error in data is present.
 Gas analysis is done in an enclosed environment. But in this experiment, the values of the
gases were taken in an open place. So there was an interruption of atmospheric air
causing error in the data.
 There were some problems while controlling the flow rate of air through the blower.
There was some fluctuation. The desired value was not obtained due to some technical
faults.
63
8.2 Future model of Gasifier Up gradation
 Addition of an alternate DC source. Along with the AC power supply the future model
will be capable of running the machine with a suitable DC power source i.e. with the help
of a rechargeable battery & the blower will be modified accordingly to match up with the
up gradation. With this modification, we will be able to use this where the electricity is
not available. Furthermore, a solar panel will also be added to recharge the battery.
 Building cost of the future model will be much less than the previous one as we can use
cheaper materials & sheets. The size will be smaller and also the weight of the machine
will be decreased. Thus it will be much easy to move.
 The future model will have more simple working procedure with an automation process.
The scrapper action will be automatic with the help of a motor and a chain gear. A PCB
(Printed Circuit Board) with a microcontroller and a LCD will be attached to the machine
for easy operation like controlling the syngas flow.
8.3 Bangladesh’s Perspective
Bangladesh is an agriculture based country where more than 65 percent of the people live in rural
areas and over 70% of total primary energy consumption is covered by biomass, mainly
agricultural waste and wood. Only about 6% of the entire population has access to natural gas,
primarily in urban areas. Electricity production in Bangladesh largely depends on fossil fuel
whose reserve is now under threat and the government is now focusing on the alternating sources
to harness electricity to meet the continuous increasing demand. To reduce the dependency on
fossil fuels, biomass to electricity could play a vital role in this regard.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely (1142.29/km2 in 2010) populated nations with an
area of 147,570 km2 and a population of about 150 million. Two-thirds of the country’s total
population lives in rural areas, meeting most of their energy needs (domestic, commercial, and
industrial) from traditional biomass fuels and about 51% of its populations have no access to
power. Bangladesh’s per capita energy consumption is very low, the lowest within the Indian
subcontinent. The 2010 energy consumption value stands at about 209 kgOE which is quite low
64
compared to 566 kgOE for India, 487 kgOE for Pakistan, 478 kgOE for Sri Lanka, and 341 kgOE
for Nepal and far below the world average of 1680 kgOE. The installed capacity in Bangladesh
increased by roughly 3,415 MW between 2009 and 2012 and is now about 8,535 MW.
According to reports, Bangladesh at present generates 5000 MW power. Peak hour demand is of
6,000 MW every day and increases on hot summer days. Bangladesh’s electricity supply strongly
relies on natural gas. More than 67.21% of the power plants are fired by the gas. Hydropower is
responsible only for 2.58% of the total electricity supply. HFO based power plants share around
22.34% of total electricity. The acute gas shortage causes a loss in production of around
600 MW. Due to the shortage of fossil fuel, government has focused on the renewable energy
technology mainly on solar energy and biomass.
In Bangladesh, agricultural residues vastly meet the household energy demands in rural and semi
urban areas. This is practiced mainly because of the fact that around 65 percent of our economic
activities are based on agriculture. The rain fed ecosystem of Bangladesh produces huge amounts
of biomass resources, for example, agriculture residues (crop/tree residue, rice husk, and jute
stick), animal waste (cow dung and human excreta), wood/tree leaves, municipal waste,
vegetation, sugarcane bagasse, water hyacinth, poultry droppings, garbage, and so forth. Due to
the lack of electricity supply in rural areas, the rural population depends mainly on biomass as a
source of energy. Only about 6% of the entire population has access to natural gas, primarily in
urban areas. Biomass fuels, such as wood, cow dung, and agricultural residues, are collected
mainly from the local environment and have become a traded commodity as cooking fuel. Most
Bangladeshi households in rural areas (99%) as well as urban areas (66%) use biomass such as
wood, cow dung, jute sticks, or other agricultural wastes for cooking.
Power generation in Bangladesh largely depends on natural gas considering its apparent huge
availability. Maximum share of generated power comes from natural gas and the rest is from
liquid fuel, coal, and hydropower. The present share of renewable energy is only 0.5%. However,
in recent years, it is evident that actual scenario is different and adequate supply of natural gas
has been at stake due to depleting existing gas reserves and nonexploration of new gas reserves.
The uncertainty has been constraining development of further gas based power generation
expansion program. Considering this situation, the government has diversified the fuel mix and
under the new generation expansion plan, substantial proportion is from liquid and is coal based.
65
In that case, the above scenario will be drastically changed. Under the changed perspective,
renewable energy would have a significant contribution, given the global climate change
scenario and carbon trading prospect.
66
CHAPTER 9
CONCLUSION
With limited resources, countless limitations and an average equipment, we cannot say that we
achieved 100% of our objective. But what we gained was a vast knowledge about gasification
process, and other promising bio-fuels that can be gasified. The syngas from the process is
hazardous and harmful for human health. We were unable to mitigate this problem. The absence
of a Gas Calorimeter didn’t let us measure the heating value of the produced syngas directly
from the experiment. But still we were able to analyze the gases, also with two other non-
conventional fuels to gasify.
67
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Pellegrini, L. F., Silvio de Oliveira, S. D. (2006) Exergy analysis of sugarcane bagasse
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Polytechnic of LPP - Plantation Training Institute, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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Chemical Engineering Department, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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Mechanical Engineering Department, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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70
APPENDICES
71
APPENDIX A
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
1.1 Rice Husk: For 200gm at 2.6 m/s – Before Ignition
Time (Seconds) CO (PPM) H2 (PPM) CH4 (PPM)
2 210 36 164
4 327 46 254
6 392 67 367
8 454 88 398
10 473 103 395
12 528 128 434
14 543 123 436
16 492 121 364
18 336 73 208
72
1.2 Rice Husk: For 200gm at 2.6 m/s – After Combustion
228 471 197 391
234 512 195 417
240 505 156 375
246 521 138 350
252 503 153 322
258 498 141 349
264 484 168 343
270 462 156 325
276 438 162 304
282 483 144 353
288 515 182 406
294 371 136 315
300 282 89 312
306 557 203 457
312 494 197 473
318 455 197 432
324 450 184 360
330 444 177 384
73
336 456 158 365
342 453 163 358
348 460 172 351
354 486 183 337
360 492 192 364
74
2 137 44 62
4 332 94 222
6 428 123 343
8 481 152 378
10 481 170 408
12 503 183 408
14 502 153 366
16 495 145 399
18 510 190 403
20 550 201 407
22 558 210 495
24 558 210 495
26 592 262 467
28 612 265 501
30 602 289 522
75
180 100 52 104
186 119 76 242
192 135 87 237
198 273 140 391
204 505 241 402
210 520 214 370
216 506 241 363
222 533 222 322
228 513 200 269
234 498 201 340
240 567 210 427
246 500 208 403
252 473 211 317
258 505 232 358
264 511 261 386
270 505 249 358
276 421 209 321
282 482 226 344
76
288 452 205 390
294 455 181 345
6 183 84 263
12 407 118 350
18 437 138 388
24 422 147 373
30 373 146 357
36 294 141 354
42 270 100 379
48 264 115 431
54 254 108 415
77
252 266 134 196
258 251 98 214
264 301 120 266
270 366 196 301
276 281 131 201
282 317 120 253
288 349 132 371
294 344 154 400
300 332 192 396
306 341 227 408
312 347 233 394
318 345 233 384
324 337 243 372
330 282 223 310
336 241 156 138
342 289 140 138
348 258 118 153
354 532 227 268
360 325 161 203
366 323 151 225
372 360 194 271
78
378 359 185 274
384 343 174 267
390 365 177 281
396 372 192 278
402 370 180 271
408 378 196 265
414 390 194 280
420 367 158 282
426 270 112 208
6 100 6 78
12 154 15 125
18 322 75 277
24 414 124 392
30 432 137 398
36 396 129 410
42 367 125 392
48 354 119 418
79
348 97 73 99
354 83 77 89
360 81 78 86
366 91 88 103
372 395 203 249
378 371 219 251
384 380 166 300
390 389 170 297
396 379 171 300
402 448 213 355
408 381 156 329
414 295 139 284
420 312 129 244
426 358 138 305
432 344 85 306
438 351 77 269
444 301 111 253
450 319 139 241
456 299 121 236
462 285 104 134
468 255 107 140
80
2.1 Wood Chips: For 100gm at 2.0 m/s – Before Ignition
6 12 1 9
12 53 8 40
18 155 36 184
24 277 81 294
30 431 108 421
36 420 86 322
2.2 Wood Chips: For 100gm at 2.0 m/s – After Combustion
132 357 80 252
138 322 99 283
144 367 84 229
150 399 48 99
156 431 43 93
162 425 72 228
168 467 148 485
174 477 145 434
81
180 496 125 326
186 512 98 305
192 399 117 319
198 419 117 314
204 455 114 365
210 412 113 339
216 482 111 341
222 466 117 302
228 453 106 253
234 444 109 322
240 441 108 305
246 458 118 299
252 451 94 272
82
2.3 Wood Chips: For 200gm at 2.0 m/s – Before Ignition
6 219 43 245
12 254 61 270
18 258 71 255
24 267 75 236
30 275 80 233
36 312 91 246
42 327 102 258
48 365 115 274
54 371 123 281
60 386 131 291
66 405 138 306
72 445 159 354
78 468 168 366
84 543 189 515
90 530 187 680
83
2.4 Wood Chips: For 200gm at 2.0 m/s – After Combustion
204 231 107 227
210 439 177 446
216 369 133 275
222 352 144 347
228 426 153 378
234 418 154 337
240 348 129 287
246 411 139 326
252 422 137 313
258 455 143 302
264 437 144 297
270 420 143 276
276 262 110 196
84
3.1 Bagasse: For 100gm at 2.0 m/s – Before Ignition
2 46 13 35
4 54 18 50
6 370 50 142
8 619 113 365
10 592 167 615
12 512 187 742
14 518 172 759
16 406 111 631
18 280 70 417
3.2 Bagasse: For 100gm at 2.0 m/s – After Combustion
64 331 109 158
66 356 123 169
68 431 152 223
70 415 157 221
72 408 169 216
74 424 173 206
76 441 139 197
78 451 149 200
85
80 450 167 199
82 412 168 197
84 419 166 217
86 430 166 220
88 383 156 203
90 351 150 182
92 371 152 181
94 381 151 166
96 378 150 175
98 360 149 175
100 350 143 200
102 385 147 237
104 389 157 236
106 340 156 241
108 342 150 244
110 348 155 239
112 361 162 249
114 342 161 262
116 368 148 270
118 365 172 276
120 372 178 281
122 377 163 273
124 383 169 256
86
126 391 159 245
128 383 156 224
130 356 148 190
132 337 152 185
134 356 155 176
136 370 158 168
138 371 154 168
140 342 148 176
142 316 146 157
144 318 151 153
146 311 149 156
148 304 148 164
150 292 143 157
152 290 139 155
87
2 56 12 13
4 67 14 28
6 77 15 80
8 86 19 134
10 89 23 187
12 111 24 284
14 335 93 515
16 481 148 664
18 512 124 724
20 489 99 697
22 504 92 729
24 478 87 763
26 325 110 786
28 299 85 543
88
72 336 58 416
74 528 150 432
76 507 149 438
78 446 132 414
80 527 189 425
82 552 203 394
84 538 191 385
86 539 152 381
88 547 130 374
90 525 124 379
92 501 116 362
94 489 99 301
96 457 90 369
98 374 78 278
100 416 90 268
102 382 76 255
104 369 71 234
106 353 63 236
108 379 111 228
110 399 137 235
112 444 140 238
89
114 355 142 256
116 255 130 216
118 244 124 207
120 236 120 182
2 178 91 179
4 157 91 174
6 243 99 186
8 287 104 186
10 299 112 191
12 320 108 191
14 317 109 196
16 328 109 202
18 347 114 216
20 376 122 245
22 388 128 261
24 382 125 277
26 430 132 286
28 463 149 302
90
30 501 167 337
32 548 164 383
34 586 160 424
36 619 192 519
38 526 199 572
130 177 72 97
132 186 76 103
134 143 69 87
136 131 69 94
138 155 83 152
140 188 88 156
142 182 90 172
144 219 100 183
146 214 100 164
148 356 126 201
150 438 180 570
152 474 178 616
154 452 180 573
91
156 445 158 394
158 481 162 457
160 514 171 403
162 501 152 397
164 503 136 409
166 531 123 360
168 521 140 396
170 517 155 389
172 465 164 386
174 478 146 352
176 476 146 344
178 525 152 347
180 544 155 405
182 576 164 397
184 546 159 390
186 456 144 388
188 454 144 377
190 472 154 354
192 439 138 320
194 402 118 319
196 428 148 317
198 448 163 310
200 448 157 305
92
APPENDIX B
PROGRAMME CODE
Programme Code for Arduino UNO:
float COpin=A1;
float H2pin=A2;
float CH4pin=A3;
int value1;
int value2;
int value3;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
pinMode(COpin, INPUT);
pinMode(H2pin, INPUT);
pinMode(CH4pin, INPUT);
void loop()
93
{
value1= analogRead(COpin);
value2= analogRead(H2pin);
value3= analogRead(CH4pin);
Serial.print("CO VALUE: ");
Serial.println(value1);
Serial.print(" H2 VALUE: ");
Serial.print(" CH4 VALUE: ");
delay(2000);
_________________________
94

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ANALYSIS OF PRODUCED GAS BY THE

GASIFICATION OF DIFFERENT SOLID

AHSANULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Under the supervision of

Dr. Dewan Hasan Ahmed

In partial fulfillment of the

Chapter-1 Introduction [1-7]

Chapter-2 Literature Review [8-14]

Chapter-4 Design and Construction [16-26]

Chapter-5 Theory of Gasification [27-32]

6.2 Air Flow System ……………………………………[33]

6.3 Setting Up the Arduino UNO

for gas analysis ………………………[33]

6.4 Taking the Gas Concentration

6.5 Primary Ignition & Start Up ………………………[35]

Chapter-7 Result and Discussion [37-62]

Ignition and After Combustion) ...………………....[37]

7.1.1 Rice Husk ………….………………………………[38]

7.1.2 Wood Chips ……………………….……………….[44]

7.1.3 Sugarcane Bagasse .…….…………………………[47]

7.2 Gas Concentration for Specific

Gases and Different Fuels …………………….[51]

7.2.1 Carbon Monoxide (CO) ………….………………[53]

7.2.2 Methane (CH4) ……………………………………[54]

7.2.3 Hydrogen (H2) …………………………………….[55]

7.3 Air Fuel Ratio ………………………………………[56]

7.3.1 Sample: Rice Husk ………………….…………….[56]

7.3.2 Sample: Wood Chips ……………………………..[57]

7.4 Heating Value of Syngas …………….………………[59]

7.5 Discussion …………………………....……………….[61]

Chapter-8 Limitations and

8.2 Future model of Gasifier Upgradation ..……………[64]

8.3 Bangladesh’s Perspective ……………………………[64]

Chapter-9 Conclusion [67]

Figure 4.1: Hopper, Char Chamber & Reactor [17]

Figure 4.2: Blower [18]

Figure 4.3: Scrapper [18]

Figure 4.4: Gas Chamber [19]

Figure 4.5: L-shaped Pipe [20]

Figure 4.6: Voltage Regulators [20]

Figure 4.7: Exhaust Pipe [21]

Figure 4.8: Thermocouple [22]

Figure 4.9: Anemometer [23]

Figure 4.10: Arduino UNO with Labels [24]

Figure 4.11: The Sensors [25]

Figure 4.12: USB cable for Arduino UNO [26]

Figure 4.13: USB cable for sensor power [26]

Figure 6.1: Circuit diagram for Arduino and Sensors [34]

Figure 6.2: Sensors connected to Arduino [34]

Figure 6.3: Obtaining the Gas Concentration [35]

Figure 7.13: Sugarcane Bagasse - Gas Concentration for 100gm at 2.0ms-1

(Before Ignition) [48]

Figure 7.14: Sugarcane Bagasse - Gas Concentration for 100gm at 2.0ms-1

(After Combustion) [48]

Figure 7.15: Sugarcane Bagasse - Gas Concentration for 150gm at 2.0ms-1

(Before Ignition) [49]

Figure 7.16: Sugarcane Bagasse - Gas Concentration for 150gm at 2.0ms-1

(After Combustion) [49]

Figure 7.17: Sugarcane Bagasse - Gas Concentration for 200gm at 2.0ms-1

(Before Ignition) [50]

Figure 7.18: Sugarcane Bagasse - Gas Concentration for 200gm at 2.0ms-1

(After Combustion) [50]

Figure 7.19: CO Concentration of Different Fuels (Before Ignition) [53]

Figure 7.20: CO Concentration of Different Fuels (After Combustion) [53]