Thesis (MTech (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / The generation of municipal solid waste has increased significantly due to the exponential population growth and it has become a global issue. Gasification technology, an alternative method for waste treatment is a thermochemical process where carbon-based material are exposed to an environment deprived in oxygen, was used for this project. The aim of this thesis is to study the gasification of plastic waste which is a potential alternative energy source using infrared heaters. To achieve this goal, fundamental studies have been numerically and experimentally conducted for an infrared gasifier and subsequently establishing the temperature profile for gasification using a small scale reactor. A detailed study on low density polyethylene was conducted using Infrared Spectrometry and thermal decomposition techniques such as Thermogravimetry and Differential Scanning Calorimetry were performed to establish the temperature at which plastic pellets sample used for this research gasify. The gasification behaviour of pelletized low density polyethylene (plastic pellets) was tested and three case studies were done to evaluate the most suitable temperature profile for the reactor to gasify the low density polyethylene at high temperature for less amount of time. Subsequently, the reactor model was simulated and results validate the use of reactor at an optimum temperature of 800 °C for a gasification process with less residue content. The reactor designed for this research is fully functional and validates the temperature behaviour predicted during simulation. The experimental results show infrared heaters are suitable for gas production using this gasification process.

Orientador: Ricardo Alan Verdu Ramos / Banca: Cassio Roberto Macedo Maia / Banca: Arnaldo Cesar da Silva Walter / Resumo: Este trabalho analisa, sob o ponto de vista termodinâmico, termoeconômico e econômico a integração da gaseificação da biomassa em uma usina sucroalcooleira. Considera-se a gaseificação da palha e da vinhaça, com a queima do bagaço na caldeira para gerar o vapor necessário para a usina. São considerados cinco casos de estudo. Inicialmente é feita uma análise da planta atual de vapor de uma usina do oeste paulista que utiliza equipamentos modernos e eficientes, incluindo uma caldeira que produz vapor a altos níveis de pressão e temperatura, o qual é utilizado para geração de eletricidade em uma turbina de extração-condensação de múltiplos estágios e em outra turbina de contrapressão. Além disso, todos os acionamentos das moendas são eletrificados. Na sequência são definidos casos de estudo que combinam a gaseificação da vinhaça e da palha da cana com a planta atual de vapor da usina. Por fim, é definida uma planta de uma usina nova com o dobro da moagem considerada inicialmente, incluindo uma caldeira que gera vapor a altos níveis de pressão e temperatura, e uma turbina de extração-condensação de múltiplos estágios, integrando a gaseificação da palha e da vinhaça. Os resultados mostram que as plantas com gaseificação promovem um aumento substancial na geração de eletricidade da usina e na eficiência da planta. Entretanto, sob o ponto de vista termoeconômico e econômico, as plantas que integram a gaseificação apresentam maior custo de geração da eletricidade e maior tempo de retorno do investimento / Abstract: In this work, the integration of biomass gasification in a sugarcane plant is analyzed from the thermodynamic, thermoeconomic and economic point of view. The gasification of straw and stillage by-products is taken into account, alongside the burning of bagasse in the boilers to generate steam for the plant. Five case studies are considered. At first, an analysis is carried out of the current steam plant from a sugarcane factory in the western region of Sao Paulo State that deploys modern and efficient equipment, including a boiler that produces steam at high pressure and temperature, which is used to generate electricity in a multistage condensation-extraction steam turbine and in a backpressure turbine. All drives of the mills are electrified. Following that, some more case studies are specified, combining the gasification of stillage and straw with the current steam plant of the sugarcane factory. Finally, a new plant is proposed, with twice the milling currently obtained, including a boiler that generates steam at higher pressure and temperature, and a multistage condensation- extraction turbine, integrating the gasification of straw and stillage. The results show that plants with gasification promote a substantial increase in electricity generation and in the efficiency of the plant. However, from the thermoeconomic and economic point of view, the plants that considers gasification presents a higher cost of the electricity and a longer payback / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-08-06Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:59:48Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 fonsecafilho_vff_me_guara.pdf: 1111634 bytes, checksum: c3877aa5548961a1604a4e71e55520e1 (MD5) / A necessidade do desenvolvimento de tecnologias baseadas em fontes de energia renováveis é crescente em todo o mundo, de modo a diversificar a matriz energética dos países, bem como atender às rigorosas legislações ambientais e acordos internacionais para redução na emissão de poluentes. Estudos que permitam a implantação desta tecnologia no Brasil, levando-se em conta as características específicas dos biocombustíveis disponíveis, devem ser realizados com vistas à diversificação da matriz energética do país. Diversas tecnologias em fase de desenvolvimento sobre o uso de biomassa na geração de energia têm sido apresentadas na literatura técnica, das quais as plantas industriais de ciclo combinado com gaseificação integrada (IGCC) surgem como uma importante inovação tecnológica. Nesta tecnologia se obtém um combustível gasoso, rico em gás hidrogênio, a partir de biomassa sólida, elevando com isso a eficiência global do processo em relação à sua queima direta numa caldeira convencional. O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver um modelo termodinâmico e de equilíbrio químico, a partir de bagaço de cana, relativamente a uma configuração de ciclo combinado com gaseificação integrada (IGCC), associado com análise de custos exergéticos e emissão de CO2, por meio do método da penalidade exergética. Por meio da análise de penalidades exergéticas é realizada a comparação entre a tecnologia IGCC e o ciclo a vapor tradicionalmente empregado no setor sucro-alcooleiro, verificando-se que a nova tecnologia apresenta vantagens técnicas e ambientais em relação à tecnologia tradicional / The development of technology based in energy renewable sources is increasing worldwide in order to diversify the energy mix and satisfy the rigorous environmental legislation and international agreements to reduce pollutant emission. Considering the specific characteristics of biofuels available in Brazil, studies regarding such technologies should be carried out aiming the diversification of the energy mix. Several state-of-the-art technologies for power generation from biomass have been presented in the technical literature, and the industrial plants with integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) emerge as a major technological innovation. By obtaining a fuel gas rich in hydrogen from solid biomass, the IGCC presents a higher overall efficiency of the process than the direct burning of the solid fuel in a conventional boiler. The objective of this study is to develop a thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium model of an IGCC configuration for sugarcane bagasse, associated with an exergetic cost analysis and a CO2 emission analysis through, the method of exergy penalties. Through such analysis it is performed an exergetic penalty comparison between the IGCC technology and the steam cycle traditionally employed in the sugarcane sector. It is verified that the proposed technology presents technical and environmental advantages compared to traditional technology

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2016-09-28T18:19:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Jarmison de Araújo Silva_Programa de pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica_Centro de Tecnologia e .pdf: 2062372 bytes, checksum: 0382d3abc9db2bf28ffdcfe8a828adce (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-28T18:19:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Jarmison de Araújo Silva_Programa de pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica_Centro de Tecnologia e .pdf: 2062372 bytes, checksum: 0382d3abc9db2bf28ffdcfe8a828adce (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-26 / CAPES, PFRH / No cenário atual brasileiro a energia de biomassa aparece como uma oportunidade de singular importância por colaborar com um montante de aproximadamente 25% da oferta total de energia do país. Além da biomassa tradicional, contabilizada no balanço energético nacional, existe um grande potencial nos resíduos agrícolas, industriais e urbanos para fins energéticos. No uso da biomassa para fins energéticos, em particular a produção de eletricidade, podem ser utilizadas tecnologias que envolvem combustão direta da biomassa (ciclos a vapor, por exemplo) ou tecnologias que requerem a necessidade de conversão da biomassa em combustíveis líquidos ou gasosos antes da sua combustão. Exemplos do último caso são as tecnologias que fazem uso de gaseificação, biodigestão e pirólise. A grande vantagem na conversão de biomassa em combustíveis líquidos e gasosos é o aumento da flexibilidade de uso destes combustíveis em motores de combustão interna e turbinas a gás. Os processos termoquímicos da pirólise e a gaseificação podem ser definidos como a degradação térmica de qualquer material orgânico sólido na ausência total ou parcial de um agente oxidante, ou em uma quantidade tal que a oxidação não seja completa, dando origem a compostos químicos que tem potencial energético para serem utilizados como combustíveis se assim for requerido. O presente trabalho representa um estudo numérico do processo de gaseificação considerando uma modelagem que envolve equilíbrio químico e as equações de reações principais que atuam na transformação termoquímica via gaseificação. O modelo foi validado com resultados experimentais e aplicado a um estudo paramétrico envolvendo fontes de biomassa da região nordeste do Brasil, diferentes condições de temperatura de reação, dois diferentes agentes de gaseificação e variação da fração do agente de gaseificação em relação à biomassa. Os resultados mostram, entre outras conclusões, que o aumento da temperatura do reator aumenta a fração de H2 e CO em detrimento da formação de CH4. Este comportamento ocorre para os dois agentes de gaseificação utilizados (vapor e ar), embora com algumas diferenças nos valores das frações dos gases produzidos. Por sua vez, o aumento na fração do vapor como agente de gaseificação causa um aumento na produção de H2 e uma redução na produção de CO, enquanto que a produção de CH4 sofre pouco efeito pela variação da fração de vapor utilizado. O efeito do agente de gaseificação, para uma mesma fração em relação à biomassa, indica que a gaseificação com vapor de água produz uma maior fração de H2 e CH4 quando comparado à gaseificação com ar e o contrário acontece em relação à produção de CO. / In the Brazilian current scenario biomass energy appears as an opportunity of singular importance for collaborating with an amount of approximately 25% of total energy supply of the country. In addition to traditional biomass, accounted for in the national energy balance, there is great potential in agricultural, industrial and municipal waste for energy purposes. In the use of biomass for energy purposes, in particular for the production of electricity, may be used technologies involving direct biomass combustion (steam cycles, for example) or technologies that require the need for conversion of biomass into liquid or gaseous fuels before its combustion. Examples of this latter case are the technologies that make use of gasification and pyrolysis digestion. The great advantage of the conversion of biomass into liquid and gas is the increased flexibility of use of these fuels in internal combustion engines and gas turbine engines. The thermochemical processes of pyrolysis and gasification can be defined as the thermal degradation of any solid organic material in the total or partial absence of an oxidizing agent, or in such an amount that oxidation is not complete, giving rise to chemical compounds that have potential energy to be used as fuels if so required. This study is a numerical study of the gasification process considering a modeling involving chemical equilibrium and the main reaction equations that work in the thermochemical conversion via gasification. The model was validated with experimental results and applied to a parametric study of sources of biomass northeast region of Brazil, different reaction temperatures, two different gasification agents and varying the fraction of the gasification agent in relation to biomass. The results show, among other findings, that the increase in reactor temperature increases the fraction of CO and H2 instead of formation of CH4. This behavior occurs for both gasification agents used (steam and air), although with some differences in the values of fractions of produced gases. In turn, the increase in the fraction of steam as gasification agent causes an increase in H2 production and a reduction in CO production while producing CH4 undergoes little effect on the variation of the vapor fraction used. The effect of the gasification agent, to the same fraction in relation to the biomass gasification indicate that the water vapor produces a larger fraction of H2 and CH 4 when compared with air gasification and the reverse is the case for carbon monoxide production.

Carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS) are expected to play a key role in the future energy matrix. Different gas separation processes are under investigation with the purpose of becoming a more economical alternative than solvent based post combustion configurations. Previous works have proved that pressure swing adsorption (PSA) cycles manage to reach similar carbon capture targets than conventional amine process but with approx. a 50% lower specific energy consumption when they are applied at lab scale. These encouraging results suggest that research must be undertaken to study the feasibility of this technology at a low to medium power plant scale. The simulation of PSA cycles is a computationally challenging and time consuming task that requires as well a large set of experimentally measured data as input parameters. The assumption of Equilibrium Theory reduces the amount of empirically determined input variables that are necessary for modelling adsorption dynamics as well as enabling a simpler code implementation for the simulators. As part of this work, an Equilibrium Theory PSA cycle solver (Esim) was developed, the novel tool enables the quantification of the thermodynamic limit for a given PSA cycle allowing as well a pre-selection of promising operating conditions and configurations (high separation efficiency) for further investigation by using full governing equation based software The tool presented in this thesis is able to simulate multi-transition adsorption systems that obey any kind of equilibrium isotherm function without modifying its main code. The second part of this work is devoted to the design, simulation and optimisation of two stage two bed Skarmstrom PSA cycles to be applied as a pre-combustion process in a biomass gasification CHP plant. Simulations were carried out employing an in house software (CySim) in which full governing equations have been implemented. An accurate analysis of the operating conditions and cycle configurations was undertaken in order to improve the performance of the carbon capture unit. It was estimated that the energy penalty associated with the incorporation of the adsorptive pre combustion process was lower for a conventional post combustion solvent unit, leading as well to lower specific energy consumption per unit of captured CO2 and higher overall efficiencies for the CHP plant with installed pre-combustion PSA cycles. This work is pioneer in its kind as far as modelling, simulation, optimisation and integration of PSA units in energy industries is concerned and its results are expected to contribute to the deployment of this technology in the future energy matrix.

This diploma thesis deals with impurities in waste gases and syngas. Those gases usually have low heating value and contain impurities which are the main issue of those gas fuels. Waste gases and syngas can replace natural gas after right gas treatment. First part is theoretical. It starts with description of biomass and gasification technology. Then the waste gases are described – their origin and usual composition. Next part is dedicated to impurities and is followed by impurities treatment technologies. For removing of almost every type of impurity wet scrubber can be used which is described in detail in following part. There are other types of gas cleaning technologies, so they are described too but not in such detail as wet scrubber. In second part the wet scrubber is designed, and its function is tested by cleaning syngas from fluidized-bed gasifier called Biofluid. During gas cleaning in wet scrubber the influence of water temperature on efficiency of tar removal is examined.

Energy is one of the biggest costs of production in industries and Small scale industries in Uganda are faced with a big burden due to the high energy costs they incur in their operations. Due to the high costs associated with electricity and fossil fuels, biomass energy continues to supply the bulk (81%) of industrial energy demands. However unsustainable harvesting of tradition biomass fuels (firewood and charcoal) is leading to depletion and causing a hike in prices of this important energy source. This study determined current thermal loads for 4 small scale industries, the costs of the fuels used, possible agro waste replacement options and economic comparisons of gasification using these fuel alternatives. Questionnaires, interviews and quantitative measurements of the various parameters were undertaken to establish current fuel usage and costs. Economic and emission reductions analysis were conducted using RETScreen energy planning tool. Results of indicated that the current combustion and heat transfer devices are very inefficient leading to intensive energy demands. Proposed gasifier systems of the range of 30 kW to 100kW fuel power, would cost between US$ 6,156.35 and US$20,371.20. It was further established that installing gasifiers and incorporating agro wastes in the fuel mix (60%) would greatly reduce expenditure on fuels with pay back periods ranging from 0.4 – 3 years. Risk analysis further showed that fuel costs and operations and maintenance would attract the highest risk to the net present value of each proposed gasifier installation. From these results, it was recommended that gasification coupled with use of agro wastes provides viable cheap alternative for small scale industrial thermal energy needs

No description available.

Den internationella medvetenheten om hotet med växthusgaser har bidragit till en prioriterad utveckling av alternativa och rena tekniker baserade på förnybara i stället för fossila bränslen. Biomassaförgasning är en teknik för framställning av icke-fossil energigas från biomassa. Den har flera tillämpningsområden, vilket bland annat inkluderar kraftgenerering genom förbränning i motorer. Ett av huvudproblemen med denna teknik är produktionen av tjärföreningar under processen. Detta leder till ett behov av ett gasrenings- och uppgraderingssteg med hjälp av en katalytisk bäddreaktor, vilket ökar kostnaderna och minskar den termiska effektiviteten. Nickel är den vanligast använda katalysatorn för ångreformering, men den är tyvärr giftig. I detta projekt studeras järn, som ett alternativ till nickel. Järn är miljövänlig, giftfri och mer rikligt förekommande jämfört med nickel. Specifikt så användes ett sintrat järnpulver tillverkat av Höganäs AB, Sverige, med toluen som en modellförening för tjära. För att förstå hur oxidationen av järn och järnoxider fungerar mer i detalj under den katalytiska omvandlingen så utfördes testerna med ånga och toluen en temperatur av 750°C och ett tryck av 1 bar. I experimenten observerades att ju större mängd ånga som tillfördes till reaktorn, desto fler problem observerades under katalytiska processen. Den negativa effekten av oxidationen av järnkatalysatorn var mycket större än de fördelar som ånga normalt har på den katalytiska processen. / The international community’s awareness of the danger of greenhouse gases has contributed to prioritising the development of alternative and clean technologies, using renewable sources, over fossil fuels. Biomass gasification is a technology for the production of non-fossil synthesis gas from biomass. It has numerous applications including power generation through combustion in engines. One of the main problems with this technology is the production of tars during the process. This leads to the need to implement a gas cleaning and upgrading step using a catalytic bed reactor, which increases costs and reduces thermal efficiency. nickel is the common catalyst for steam reforming but it is toxic. Therefore, to overcome these drawbacks and to be environmentally friendly, iron, a non-toxic and more abundant catalyst, was used in this project. Specifically, sintered iron powder manufactured at Höganäs AB, Sweden, was used and toluene was taken as the model tar compound.  To understand the iron reactions in more detail, namely the behaviour of iron oxidation during re- forming, the toluene tests were carried out with steam as gasification agent at a temperature of 750°C and pressures below 1 bar. In the experiments, it was observed that the higher the amount of steam in the reactor, the more problems were observed in the catalyst. The negative effect of the oxidation of the catalyst far outweighed the benefits that steam could have on the catalysis.

The thesis, through experimental and numerical investigations reports on the work related to packed bed reactors in co-current configuration for biomass gasification. This study has extensively focused on the gasification operating regimes and addressing the issues of presence of tar, an undesirable component for engine application. Systematically, the influence of fuel properties on the gasification process has been studied using single particle analysis and also in packed bed reactors. Studies related to the effect of fuel properties - size, surface area volume ratio and density on the reactor performance are addressed. The influence of these parameters on the propagation rate which indirectly influences the residence time, tar generation, gas compositions is explicitly elucidated. Most of the reported work in literature primarily focuses on counter-current configurations and analysis on propagation flame front/ignition mass flux and temperature profiles mostly under the combustion regime. In this work, flame propagation front movement, bed movement and effective movement for a co-current packed bed reactor of different reactor capacities and a generalized approach towards establishing ‘effective propagation rate’ has been proposed. The work also reports on the importance of particle size and sharing of air from the top and through nozzles on tar generation in the open top down draft reactor configuration. Firstly, pyrolysis, an important component of the thermochemical conversion process has been studied using the flaming time for different biomass samples having varying size, shape and density. The elaborate experiments on the single particle study provides an insight into the reasons for high tar generation for wood flakes/coconut shells and also identifies the importance of the fuel particle geometry related to surface area and volume ratio. Effect of density by comparing the flaming rate of wood flakes and coconut shells with the wood sphere for an equivalent diameter is highlighted. It is observed that the tar level in the raw gas is about 80% higher in the case of wood flakes and similar values for coconut shells compared with wood pieces. The analysis suggests that the time for pyrolysis is lower with a higher surface area particle and is subjected to nearly fast pyrolysis process resulting in higher tar fraction with low char yield. Similarly, time for pyrolysis increases with density as observed from the experimental measurements by using coconut shells and wood flakes and concludes the influence on the performance of packed bed reactors. Studies on co-current reactor under various operating conditions from closed top reactor to open top reburn configuration suggests improved residence time reduces tar generation. This study establishes, increased residence time with staged air flow has a better control on residence time and yields lower tar in the raw gas. Studies on the influence of air mass flux on the propagation rate, peak temperature, and gas quality, establishes the need to consider bed movement in the case of co-current packed bed reactor. It is also observed that flame front propagation rate initially increases as the air mass flux is increased, reaches a peak and subsequently decreases. With increase in air mass flux, fuel consumption increases and thereby the bed movement. The importance of bed movement and its effect on the propagation front movement has been established. To account for variation in the fuel density, normalized propagation rate or the ignition mass flux is a better way to present the result. The peak flame front propagation rates are 0.089 mm/s for 10 % moist wood at an air mas flux of 0.130 kg/m2-s and while 0.095 mm/s for bone-dry wood at an air mass flux of 0.134 kg/m2-s. These peak propagation rates occur with the air mass flux in the range of 0.130 to 0.134 kg/m2-s. The present results compare well with those available in the literature on the effective propagation rate with the variation of air mass flux, and deviations are linked to fuel properties. The propagation rate correlates with mass flux as ̇ . during the increasing regime of the front movement. The extinction of flame propagation or the front receding has been established both experimentally supported from the model analysis and is found to be at an air mass flux of 0.235 kg/m2-s. The volume fraction of various gaseous species at the reactor exits obtained from the experiment is 14.89±0.28 % CO2, 15.75±0.43 % CO and 11.09±1.99 % H2 respectively with the balance being CH4 and N2. The model analysis using an in-house program developed for packed bed reactor provide a comprehensive understanding with respect to the performance of packed bed reactor under gasification conditions. The model addresses the dependence on air mass flux on gas composition and propagation rate and is used to validate the experimental results. Based on the energy balance in the reaction front, the analysis clearly identifies the reasons for stable propagation front and receding front in a co-current reactor. From the experiments and modelling studies, it is evident that turn-down ratio of a downdraft gasification system is scientifically established. Both the experimental and the numerical studies presented in the current work establishes that the physical properties of the fuel have an impact on the performance of the co-current reactor and for the first time, the importance of bed movement on the propagation rate is identified.