Modelling a biomass gasifier
Even biofuel is not without its environmental concerns. During the gasification process, which converts biomass into producer gas for use in power plants, excess organic materials accumulate in the gasifier. Wet scrubbing helps remove these pollutants, but the result is a heavily contaminated liquid effluent called tarwater. The DE-TAR project consortium combined their skills and experience to address the tarwater problem in the hopes of removing a significant obstacle to the adoption of biomass throughout Europe. The research focused on a new treatment known as Supercritical Wet Oxidation/Gasification (SCWO/G). The Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Italy performed several computer simulations that proved extremely helpful in guiding the development of the SCWO/G methodology. A mathematical model was created that describes the reaction kinetics and transport physics occurring within the gasifier. Experimental data collected with DE-TAR's pilot Process Development Unit (PDU), which produces up to sixty kilograms of effluent per hour, were used to validate the model. In turn, the model was used to gauge the impact of various operating parameters, such as inlet temperature, flow rates and so on. The model output compared well with field data and confirmed the parameterisations that were applied within the model. The DE-TAR consortium is hoping to build on these initial results and eventually to construct an industrial scale gasifier using the SCWO/G technology.
