Gasification of Biomass and Syngas
Biomass-based gasifiers, such as BioMax units, produce electricity and thermal energy from woody waste, including hard and soft wood chips, sawdust pellets, coconut husks, walnut hulls, or corn cobs.
The units heat these fuels with about a third of the oxygen needed for complete combustion to produce a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, known as synthesis gas. Biomass energy accounts for around 11% of the world’s primary energy supply, and it is estimated that around 2 billion people worldwide depend on biomass to meet their energy needs.
Wood gasification seems to be gaining ground as a viable technology to avoid greenhouse gas emissions. It has so many great uses. A few years ago, wood gas was considered cheaper, but coal gasifiers had the advantage of being much easier to handle. There are many gasifiers that produce gas from wood and then burn the gas, leaving behind ash and charcoal.
The wood chips can be fed to gasifiers at the gasification plant and the gas produced is used to fire the furnace in the chamber. Woody biomass plants can show economics that are very local and can provide a secure return on investment in many circumstances. The technologies range from boilers to gasifiers, pyrolizers and simply wood stoves. Wood gas can be used to power cars with ordinary internal combustion engines if a wood gasifier is connected. This was quite popular during World War II in various European countries because armies active in war did not always have access to oil.
Performance parameters such as air factor, feed point position and bed height are determined by testing and looking for maximum gasifier efficiency and gas heating value and minimum gas tar content. Other parameters that can be optimized with CSFB software are pressure drop, bubble diameter, and gas velocities in the bed.
Synthesis gas, produced in gasification process plants, can be used as fuel to generate electricity or steam, or as a basic chemical component for many uses. When mixed with air, it can be used in gasoline or diesel engines with little modification to the engine.
Synthesis gas is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide and can be converted into fuels such as hydrogen, natural gas or ethanol. Syngas (leaving the converter at a temperature of around 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit) is fed to a cooling system that generates steam. The gasification process converts raw materials such as coal, crude oil, petroleum-based materials, or gases into fuels and marketable products.
Models range in size from 5kW units for home use to 15kW machines, enough to power a small business. The company is currently demonstrating six gasifiers in off-grid field applications. The modeling results are compared with the experimental results published in the literature. The predicted effects of bed temperature, equivalence ratio, and fuel moisture content on primary gas composition, tar, and NH3 emissions generally agree with literature data.
Syngas can be used for a multitude of uses. When mixed with air, it can be used in gasoline or diesel engines with little modification to the engine.
The gasification process converts raw materials such as coal, crude oil, petroleum-based materials, or gases into fuels and marketable products.