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BIOMASS GASIFICATION
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Biomass in Thailand

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Biomass in Thailand

Rice husk Bagasse

Palm oil empty fruit bunch Wood chip

Biomass potential in
Thailand, 2013
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Biomass potential in Thailand,

2013
Available Equivalen
Production unused t to
Biomass type (106 Tons per residue electrical
year) (106 Tons per power2
year) (MW)
1. Sugar cane leaves 17.02 15.17 1,647.33
and tops
2. Rice straw 19.00 10.89 942.12
3. Corn leaves 9.32 8.85 610.23
4. Eucalyptus bark1 4.30 3.80 289.27
5. Palm oil empty fruit 4.10 2.21 112.13
brunch
1 Source:
Jirukkakul et al., 2010 Source: DEDE, Ministry of energy, Thailand
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2 At 20% efficient power plant operation 330 days per year (www.dede.go.th)
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Properties of biomass based in Thailand

Palm oil empty fruit
bunch Corncob
(Uthaikiattikul et al., (Kerdsuwan&Laohalidanond
, 2015)
2012)
Proximate analysis (wt% dry basis)
Moisture1 12.50 9.94
Volatile
79.82 84.71
matter
Fixed
13.31 2.33
carbon
Ash 6.87 12.96
Ultimate analysis (wt% dry basis)
Carbon 43.80 47.00
Hydrogen 6.20 6.55
Oxygen 42.64 44.75
Nitrogen 0.44 1.66
Sulfur 0.09 0.055
HHV (MJ
19.24 16.09
1 As received kg-1) 5
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Preparation of biomass for

gasifier
• Pelletization

Physical ENPlus
Unit
properties standard
kg m-
Bulk density 3 >600

Diameter mm 6 or 8
Length mm 3.15 – 40
Moisture
% ≤ 10
content
Biomass pellet press Ash content % ≤7
MJ
Heating value 16.5 – 19 6
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Biomass pellets
• Erlich and Fransson (2011)

Gasifier temperature profiles for the different fuels

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Thermochemical conversion

Process Temp. (°C)

Biomass + Heat → Charcoal, oil,
Pyrolysis 300 – 600
gas
Biomass + Stoichiometric*oxygen →
Combustion Hot combustion products
500 – 1300
Biomass + Limited oxygen →
Gasification 700 – 1400
Fuel gas

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Combustion

Complete Direct
combustion combustion

Carbonization

Incomplete
combustion

Gasification

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Biomass gasification process

• Drying Volatile
• Pyrolysis
• Oxidation
– Complete combustion - 394 kJ mol-1
– Partial combustion - 111 kJ mol-1
– Hydrogen combustion - 242 kJ mol-1
• Reduction
– Boudouard + 172 kJ mol-1
– Char reforming + 131 kJ mol-1
– Reverse water-gas shift - 41.2 kJ mol-1
– Methanation - 74.8 kJ mol-1
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Producer gas & its applications

• Producer gas
– Gas/vapor:
• Incondensable gas: CO, H2, CO2, light hydrocarbon, N2
• Condensable vapor: tar
– Solid: ash (inert)

• Applications
– Internal combustion engines: tar < 100 mg Nm-3,
particulate < 50 mg Nm-3, HHV > 4 MJ Nm-3
– Gas turbines: tar < 10 mg Nm-3, particulate < 2.4 mg
Nm-3, HHV > 4 MJ Nm-3

Source: Molino et al. (2016) 11

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Gasification processes in reactors

Fixed-bed gasifier Fluidized bed gasifier
Updraft Downdraft (cocurrent
(countercurrent flow) flow)

Tar level: 50 g Nm-3 1 g Nm-3 10 g Nm-3

Source: Basu (2013) 12

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Design of downdraft gasifier

Downdraft gasifier
Imbert (Throated) gasifier Stratified (Throatless) gasifier
 Suitable Air
 Suitable for for finer  Air suction
uniform size and &  Uniform
shape biomass lighter access air
biomass  Prevent hot-
 Well gas mixing spot, bridging
 Uniform and
temperature channeling
distribution
 Aid tar cracking
 Less tar
Limit the capacity to 500 kW

Source: Basu (2013) 13

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Updraft and Downdraft gasifier

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Updraft and Downdraft gasifier

Updraft Downdraft

• Can use high moisture biomass • Can’t use high moisture biomass

• After reaction there was high ash • After reaction there was low ash

• Producer gas from updraft unclean • Producer gas from downdraft

clean

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Parameter affecting gasification

Parameter Referrences

• Air velocity • Muilenburg (2011),

Gerun et al. (2010)
• Equivalent ratio • Zainal et al (2002),
Dillibabu.V and
Natarajan.E (2014)
• Moisture • C. Dejtrakulwong and S.
Patumsawad (2014)
• Air preheat • Wu et al (2013) ,
Dillibabu.V and
Natarajan.E (2014)

• Characteristics of biomass • Ardebili et al (2014)

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Gasifier efficiency
HVpg ⋅ Vpg
=η ⋅ 100%
HVbiomass
Compou HV (MJ m-
( x1 ⋅ HV )CO + ( x 2 ⋅ HV )H + ( x 3 ⋅ HV )CH nd 3)
HVpg = 2 4

100 CO 12.71
H2 12.78
CH4 39.76

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Tar reduction
• Primary method (reduce tar before exit gasifier)
– Adjusting the operating conditions of gasifier
– Modification of gasifier design
• Secondary method (remove tar from producer gas)
– Physical tar removal
– Thermal or chemical tar removal (cracking)

 Gas cleaning
cost
 Fouling
problems
 Efficiency loss
Source: Basu (2013)
Tar
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