IX Workshop Modelling of Multiphase Flows in Thermo-Chemical Systems, 12-14.06.

2011
IX Warsztaty Modelowanie przepyww wielofazowych w ukadach termochemicznych, Wieyca k/Gdaska

NUMERICAL MODELING OF THERMODYNAMIC PROCESSES IN BIOMASS BED

MODELOWANIE PROCESW TERMODYNAMICZNYCH W ZOU BIOMASY

Jakub Korotko
1
, Kamil Kwiatkowski
23
, Konrad Bajer
23

1
Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology
2
Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw,
3
Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Numerical Simulations University of Warsaw,
e-mail: korotkoj@gmail.com

Abstract (poster presentation)
The demand for energy favours the development of the alternative energy sources. The
importance of biomass as a renewable fuel is becoming more noticeable. Increasingly stringent
restrictions on pollution lead to the new challenging designs of the biomass gasifiers. The goal of
research is to understand the processes involved in converting biomass to syngas. That would allow
them to comply with the restrictions set on the emission of pollutants and to improve the efficiency of
the process.
The present work is devoted to numerical modelling of biomass gasification with the
commercial CFD application Fluent. The conversion of solid biomass to syngas takes place in an
updraft gasifier where four different processes can be distinguished: water evaporation, pyrolysis,
gasification and oxidation. By taking advantage of the User Defined Functions (UDF) it is possible to
formulate a two-phase model, where these two phases come to interact. The space occupied by
biomass is treated as a porous medium. Darcys law is applied to calculate the fluid flow through the
porous medium where the permeability coefficient is taken from [1]. In order to simulate the four
abovementioned processes it is necessary to model the heat transfer between solid and gas. Heat
exchange in the porous medium is modelled as purely convective.
The UDF is constructed with in-built possibility of modelling different types of biomass such
as wood, feathers or straw. In the work presented here we focus on the specific type of biomass,
namely wood chips. Those consist moisture, volatiles, particles, fixed carbon and ash.
Additionally volatiles are quantified by fractional composition of
lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. This case study includes homogeneous
chemical reactions such as water-gas shift, combustion of CO, CH
4
,H
2
and
heterogeneous reactions such as char combustion, gasification of CO
2
,
H
2
O, H
2
[2,3]. Rates of these processes are defined by the chemical kinetics
rates based on the Arrhenius equation. The coefficients of these equations
are taken from the literature [3]. In the near future we intend to replace
these coefficients with the data obtained from the thermogravimetric
measurements that are already scheduled.
Based on the current results it is possible to visualize the
temperature distribution in the solid and fluid phases as well as the
concentration of chemical species. The CFD calculations give a
new opportunity to optimize the industrial biomass gasifier
improving its efficiency, reducing pollution and refining the
control of the process. In order to obtain reliable CFD results in
this new area we plan to validate the results using the data from
the direct measurements in industrial installations.
References
[1] Ahn H.K., Richard T.L., Glanville. T.D. (2008) Laboratory
determination of compost physical parameters for modeling of airflow.
Waste Management 28, 660-670.
[2] Sosnowska M. (2010) Opis chemizmu procesu zgazowania pierza,
Internal Report.
[3] Basu P. (2010) Biomass Gasification and Pyrolysis Practical
Design and Theory. Elsevier.
Table. 1. List of reactions
[2,3].
Homogeneous reactions:
CO + H
2
O CO
2
+ H
2
CO + 0.5O
2
CO
2
CH
4
+ 1.5O
2
CO
2
+ 2H
2
O
H
2
+ 0.5O
2
H
2
O
Heterogeneous reactions:
2C + O
2
2CO
C + CO
2
2CO
C + H
2
O CO + H
2
C + 2H
2
CH
4
Figure 1. Temperature distribution
in the two phases during pure
drying process after 15min. Left
fluid, right solid.