Reactor thermobalance

Steam gasification and combustion kinetics of gingko nut shell in a Thermobalance Reactor... 

Karge s combined TGA/GC method can be applied to catalysts which were used (and coked) before in a separate catalytic unit. It can, of course, be employed as well to catalysts on which the catalytic reaction was studied before in the same thermobalance (even though, in many instances, such microbalances are not very suitable as catalytic reactors, because part of the feed gas stream tends to bypass the sample holder or basket, on/in which the solid catalyst rests). If the latter is done, the mass of coke deposited during the catalytic reaction can be monitored in-situ via the weight gain. It has been shown [36] that such a strategy enables the experimentalist to perform systematic studies on the amount of coke formed and its h/wc ratio in dependence of time-on-stream and reaction temperature. 

The gasification behaviour of different straws was also studied in AFB. The aim of these tests was a) to confirm laboratory findings (thermobalance tests) concerning the ash sintering behaviour, which sets limits to the maximum gasification temperature) and b) to assess the gasification behaviour and ash sintering/deposition tendency in a full-scale fluidised-bed reactor. 

The high pressure thermobalance is very simliar to the balance described by Feldkirchner and Johnson (7). The thermobalance is designed to operate isothermally up to 1000 °C and 2000 psi hydrogen. Details of the balance are shown in Figure 1, and a schematic of the system is shown in Figure 2. The reactor tube is constructed of Haynes 25 superalloy. The mass transducer is a Statham model UC 3 attached to a balance arm (Micro-scale accessory UL 5) and has a full-scale range of 6 grams. 

Son, S.R. and Kim, S.D. (2006) Chemical-looping combustion with NiO and Fe203 in a thermobalance and circulating fluidized bed reactor with double loops. Industrial Engineering Chemistry Research, 45 (8), 2689-2696. 

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