Biomass gasifiers fueled

Aravind, P. V. Woudstra, N. Ouweltjes, J. P Andries, J. De Jong, W. Rietveld, G. Spliethoff, H., Integration of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Biomass Gasifiers, In 2nd World Conference on Biomass for Energy, Industry and Climate Protection, Van Swaaij, W. P. M., Fjallstrom, T., Helm, P., Grassi, A., Eds., ETA-Florence, Rome, 2004, pp. 1058-1061. 

Biomass gasifiers have the potential to be up to twice as efficient as using conventional boilers to generate electricity. For even greater efficiency, heat from the gas turbine exhaust can be used to generate additional electricity with a steam cycle. These improvements in efficiency can make environmentally clean biomass energy available at costs more competitive with fossil fuels. 

The fuel gas from biomass gasifiers can be used to operate gas turbines for local power generation. A gas-turbine power station is similar to a steam plant except that instead of using heat from the burning fuel to produce steam to drive the turbine, it is driven directly by the hot combustion gases. Increasing the temperature in this way improves the thermodynamic efficiency, but in order not to corrode or foul the turbine blades the gases must be very clean which is why many gas-turbine plants use natural gas. 

To study the gas mixing capacity of circulating fluidised bed (CFB) biomass gasifiers, radial and axial gas concentration profiles have been measured and interpreted in both a hot pilot scale biomass gasifier (100 kg/hr fuel) and a cold-flow set-up. The presented pilot plant data are unique in their sort and provide new insight in radial gas mixing in a CFB riser. 

The need for retrofit devices to convert biomass materials to combustible fuel gas is well established. Several developers have built and operated successful biomass gasifiers, for example the systems reported by the University of California-Davis and Georgia Tech Engineering Experiment Station. 

Historical practices once used with coke and anthracite coal gas producers do not apply to systems for gasifying high volatile biomass. The only similiarity between a biomass gasifier and a low volatile coal gas producer is that both convert solid fuel to a low heating value gas. The systems by nature are almost entirely different. 

The Design of Co-Current Moving-Bed Gasifiers Fueled by Biomass... 

On the basis of this cursory analysis, vehicle-mounted biomass gasifiers as well as alcohol fuels appear to us to represent possible means to reduce petroleum fuel use in developing nations. Biomass availability for use as a fuel, however, could restrict the use of the option to only a few LDCs. 

Siedlecki, M., Nieuwstraten, R., Simeone, E. et al. (2009) Effect of magnesite as bed material in a 100 kWth steam-oxygen blown circulating fluidized-bed biomass gasifier on gas composition and tar formation. Energy and Fuels, 23, 5643-5654. 

Devi, L., Ptasinski, K.J. and Janssen, F.J. (2005a) Pretreated olivine as tar removal catalyst for biomass gasifiers investigation using naphthalene as model biomass tar. Fuel Process Technology, 86,707-730. 

Rapagna, S Gallucci, K Di Marcello, M. et al. (2009) In situ catalytic ceramic candle filtration for tar reforming and particulate abatement in a fluidized- bed biomass gasifier. Energy and Fuels, 23, 3804-3809. 

Table 2 presents a similar characterization of biomass-fueled gasifiers nearing demonstration and commercialization. Partial oxidation at both elevated pressure and low pressure are included, and both bubbling bed and circulating bed fluidization are feasible regimes. As with coal, the biomass gasifiers are primarily fuel gas applications for steam or combustion turbine power. 

Sakanishi K, Matsumura A, Saito 1, Hanaoka T, Minowa T, TomoaM (2004) Removal of hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide for purification of biomass-gasified synthetic gas using active carbons. Prepr Symp-Am Chem Soc, Div Fuel Chem 49 580-581... 

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