Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:23:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 650312 bytes, checksum: 96eae32c74751e3b2db6bb29ca7b81b6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-11-26 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Recently, concern has grown considering environmental issues associated with the preservation of natural resources with the intention of improving the present and future quality of life. Biomass gasification shows to be a sustainable technology for power generation with low greenhouse gas emissions. One of the problems by using the gasifier for air heating purposes in poultry facilities is the waste of energy during the day, since the equipment does not have control of the thermal power generated. During this period, the temperature difference between the air outside and the birds inside the building is lower when compared with the nocturnal period. Another way to control the temperature is the shutdown of the system, which requires the constant attention of the operator. Thus, there is a potential for energy savings if the thermal power could be controlled according to the demand, which can be represented by the temperature gradient. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the control of a set combustor-gasifier with downdraught co-current flow, through the control of speed of the fan engine and also controlling the contributions of primary and secondary air in the combustor. The experiment was carried out in the Energy and Preprocessing Areas of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, at the Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais State. The air heating system was composed of a biomass gasifier with co-current air flow connected to a combustor for burning the gas produced. At the combustor exit was a centrifugal fan with capacity for 20 m3.mim-1 552 W, 220 V threephase motor. The exhaustion and environmental air temperatures were measures by thermocouples K (Cromel + Alumel). Eucalyptus wood biomass, with an average diameter 6.0 ± 2.0 cm average length 4.0 ± 2.0 cm was used as fuel to the gasifier. The areas used for the primary air contributions to the combustor were 0 and 112 cm², and for the secondary air contribution to the combustor were: 0, 180 and 360 cm². The frequencies chosen and applied by the frequency inverter to the motor were from 10 to 60 Hz, with steps of 5 Hz, obtaining a range of average actual power from the motor from 93 to 326 W. The difference of temperature and average actual power from the motor was measured with the combustor air inlets closed were respectively 127.7 °C and 233 W. When the combustor air inlet area was 472 cm2, 10 °C and 97 W were found. After evaluating the results, it could be concluded that: the control of exhaustion air temperature can be done by controlling the air flow to the combustor or changing the speed of the fan motor. The variation of the input area of air in the combustor implicates in a variation in the temperature of the exhaustion air. However, controlling the speed of the fan motor provides a change in exhaustion air temperature and a decrease in electric power consumption. The operation of the gasifiercombustor using a frequency inverter combined with the combustor openings of air eases the consumption production of thermal power. / Nos dias atuais, há uma preocupação com questões ecológicas associadas à preservação dos recursos naturais visando à qualidade de vida atual e futura. Nesse contexto, a gaseificação de biomassa é uma tecnologia sustentável para a geração de energia, por apresentar baixa emissão de gases poluentes. Um dos problemas do uso do gaseificador para o aquecimento do ar em aviários é o desperdício de energia no período diurno, tendo em vista que o equipamento não dispõe de sistema de controle de potência térmica gerada. Nesse período, a diferença de temperatura entre o ar ambiente e a necessária para as aves no interior dos galpões é menor quando comparada com o período noturno. Outra forma de controle da temperatura é o desligamento do sistema, o que acarreta uma constante atenção por parte do operador. Desse modo, há um potencial de economia de energia, caso venha a ser controlada a potência térmica em função da demanda, que pode ser representada pelo gradiente de temperatura. Objetivou se com este trabalho avaliar o controle de um conjunto gaseificador-combustor de fluxo concorrente, por meio do controle da velocidade do motor do ventilador e das entradas de ar primário e secundário no combustor. O experimento foi realizado nos laboratórios da Área Pré- processamento de Produtos Agrícolas e de Energia do Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais. O sistema de aquecimento de ar foi constituído por um gaseificador de biomassa de fluxo concorrente conectado a um combustor, onde foi queimado o gás produzido. Na saída do combustor foi colocado um ventilador centrífugo, com capacidade para 20 m3 mim-1 acionado por um motor de 552 W, 220 V trifásico. As medidas de temperaturas do ar exaustão e ambiente foram realizadas por meio de termopares blindados do tipo K, de Cromel+ Alumel. A biomassa utilizada foi lenha de eucalipto, tendo um diâmetro médio de 6,0 ± 2,0 cm e comprimento médio de 4,0 ± 2,0 cm. As áreas mínimas e máximas utilizadas para as entradas de ar primário no combustor foram de 0 e 112 cm2, e secundário de 0, 180 e 360 cm2. O intervalo de freqüências escolhidas e fornecidas pelo inversor ao motor foram de 10 a 60 Hz, com variação de 5 Hz, com isso foi obtido um intervalo de potência ativa média para o motor de 93 a 326 W. A diferença de temperatura e potência ativa média do motor foi medida para as entradas de ar no combustor fechadas, foi respectivamente de 127,7 °C e 233 W, e para a área de entradas de ar no combustor igual 472 cm2, foi respectivamente de: 10 °C e 97 W. Após analisar os resultados conclui-se que: O controle de temperatura do ar de exaustão pode ser efetuado pelo fluxo de ar que passa pelas entradas de ar no combustor, por meio do controle da área da entrada de ar no combustor ou pela variação da velocidade do motor do ventilador. A variação da área de entrada de ar no combustor implica em uma variação na temperatura do ar de exaustão. Entretanto, o controle da velocidade do motor proporciona uma variação da temperatura do ar de exaustão, e uma diminuição no consumo de energia elétrica. A operação do gaseificador- combustor utilizando o inversor de freqüência combinado com as aberturas de entrada de ar no combustor flexibiliza a consumo de potência térmica.

Ce travail porte sur la modélisation de gazéification de la biomasse dans un réacteur solaire à lit fixe. Nous avons développé et validé différents modules pour la résolution des problèmes physiques associés à de tels gazéifieurs (volumes finis, équilibre thermodynamique, facteur de forme, radiosité, évolution du maillage, etc.). Le réacteur est ensuite modélisé et confronté à des mesures expérimentales pour sa validation. Ces résultats nous laissent supposer que, pour les conditions opératoires rencontrées dans ce réacteur, l’évolution de la vitesse de chauffage et du taux de centre sont des facteurs d’influence importants de la cinétique pour le bois de hêtre. Une étude du réacteur en supposant que la réaction atteint l’équilibre thermodynamique est ensuite conduite et montre que cette approche doit être employée avec précaution pour le domaine de température étudié. Une étude paramétrique concernant la mise en place d’un échangeur air-air entre le gaz de sortie et le gaz d’entrée est proposée. Elle nous montre que l’ajout d’un gaz inerte peut être intéressant d’un point de vue énergétique dans de telles conditions. Enfin, un absorbeur solaire adapté au gazéifieur est ensuite modélisé et validé afin de pouvoir évaluer la sensibilité du système complet. / This work focuses on the modeling of biomass gasification in a solar fixed bed reactor. We developed and validated different modules to compute physical problems associated with such gasifier (finite volume, thermodynamic equilibrium, view factor, radiosity, evolution of the mesh, etc.). The reactor is then modeled, and results are compared to experimental measurements for its validation. These results suggest that for the operating conditions encountered in this reactor, the evolution of the heating rate and the ash concentration may influence the kinetics of the beech wood gasification. A study of the reactor by assuming thermodynamic equilibrium is conducted and shows that this approach should be used with caution for the studied temperature range. Parametric study of an air-air exchanger between the output and input gas is proposed. It shows that the addition of an inert gas can be interesting from an energy point of view in such conditions. Finally, a solar absorber suited to the reactor is modeled and validated in order to assess the sensitivity of the complete system.

The aim of the project was to investigate the possibility of producing and utilizing bioenergy from available local resources in the village Linga Linga, Mozambique. Suitable conversion techniques for producing and utilizing bioenergy were identified through a literature study. The investigated techniques were the concept of gasifier cookstoves, the method of producing charcoal from biomass and anaerobic digesters. Through observations and interviews in the village, available local resources suited for the conversion techniques were identified. In the field study, it was found that there is a surplus of solid biomass which led to the conclusion that a gasifier cookstove is suitable to implement. In order to analyze if a gasifier cookstove is suitable for the households, interviews were carried out in ten households in the village. Aprototype of a gasifier cookstove was built with local resources to determine if the technique can be applied. The prototype was tested and evaluated in order to analyze if it will contributeto a more efficient use of resources. One of the conclusions of the study was that a gasifier cookstove can be valuable for the households in several ways, but that cultural differences can make it hard to implement.

As populations increase and cities become denser, the production of waste, both sewage sludge and food biomass, increases exponentially while disposal options for these wastes are limited. Landfills have minimal space for biosolids; countries are now banning ocean disposal methods for fear of the negative environmental impacts. Agricultural application of biosolids cannot keep up with the production rates because of the accumulation of heavy metals in the soils. Gasification can convert biosolids into a renewable energy source that can reduce the amount of waste heading to the landfills and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. A recently published chemical kinetic computer model for a fluidized-bed sewage sludge gasifier (Champion, Cooper, Mackie, & Cairney, 2014) was improved in this work based on limited experimental results obtained from a bubbling fluidized-bed sewage sludge gasifier at the MaxWest facility in Sanford, Florida and published information from the technical literature. The gasifier processed sewage sludge from the communities surrounding Sanford and was operated at various air equivalence ratios and biosolid feed rates. The temperature profile inside of the gasifier was recorded over the span of four months, and an average profile was used in the base case scenario. The improved model gave reasonable predictions of the axial bed temperature profile, syngas composition, heating value of the syngas, gas flow rate, and carbon conversion. The model was validated by comparing the simulation temperature profile data with the measured temperature profile data. An overall heat loss coefficient was calculated for the gasification unit to provide a more accurate energy balance. Once the model was equipped with a heat loss coefficient, the output syngas temperature closely matched the operational data from the MaxWest facility. The model was exercised at a constant equivalence ratio at varying temperatures, and again using a constant temperature with varying equivalence ratios. The resulting syngas compositions from these exercises were compared to various literature sources. It was decided that some of the reactions kinetics needed to be adjusted so that the change in syngas concentration versus change in bed temperature would more closely match the literature. The reaction kinetics for the Water-Gas Shift and Boudouard reactions were modified back to their original values previously obtained from the literature.

To meet the requirements of precise temperature monitoring at high temperatures in extremely corrosive environments, such as in coal gasifiers, a new sensor technology has been developed. This optical, ultra high temperature measurement system utilizes single crystal sapphire as a sensing element. A series of experiments was performed to determine the corrosion resistance of single crystal sapphire and single crystal fully stabilized cubic zirconia at high temperatures in coal slag and soda lime glass. The amount of corrosion of sapphire and zirconia in corrosive slags was measured at 1200°C, 1300°C, and 1400°C for different exposure times. The microstructural features at the interface of sapphire and zirconia were investigated using SEM and EDX analysis. The experimental measurements as well as SEM micrographs show very little or no degradation of sapphire and zirconia samples in corrosive slags. An interesting phenomenon was observed in the EDX scans of sapphire in the coal slag: the iron from the slag appears to have completely separated from the silicon and deposited at the sapphire surface. This interesting observation can be further explored to study whether this iron layer can be used to control the corrosion of sapphire. / Master of Science

Yes / The biomass gasification process is widely accepted as a popular technology to produce fuel for the application in gas turbines and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). Chemical reactions of this process can be separated into three reaction zones: pyrolysis, combustion, and reduction. In this study, sensitivity analysis with respect to three input parameters (gasification temperature, equivalence ratio, and steam-to-biomass ratio) has been carried out to achieve energy self-sufficient conditions in a steam gasification process under the criteria that the carbon conversion efficiency must be more than 70%, and carbon dioxide gas is lower than 20%. Simulation models of the steam gasification process have been carried out by ASPEN Plus and validated with both experimental data and simulation results from Nikoo & Mahinpey (2008). Gasification temperature of 911 °C, equivalence ratio of 0.18, and a steam-to-biomass ratio of 1.78, are considered as an optimal operation point to achieve energy self-sufficient condition. This operating point gives the maximum of carbon conversion efficiency at 91.03%, and carbon dioxide gas at 15.18 volumetric percentages. In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) is included to compare the environmental performance of conventional and energy self-sufficient gasification for steam biomass gasification. / Financing of this research was supported by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) under Grant Number PHD57I0054 and the Institutional Research Grant by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) under Grant Number IRG 5780014 and Chulalongkorn University, Contact No. RES_57_411_21_076.

A mild gasification method has been developed to provide an innovative clean coal technology. The objective of this study is to developed a numerical model to investigate the thermal-flow and gasification process inside a specially designed fluidized-bed mild gasifier using the commercial CFD solver ANSYS/FLUENT. Eulerain-Eulerian method is employed to calculate both the primary phase (air) and secondary phase (coal particles). The Navier-Stokes equations and seven species transport equations are solved with three heterogeneous (gas-solid), two homogeneous (gas-gas) global gasification reactions. Development of the model starts from simulating single-phase turbulent flow and heat transfer to understand the thermal-flow behavior followed by five global gasification reactions, progressively with adding one equation at a time. Finally, the particles are introduced with heterogeneous reactions. The simulation model has been successfully developed. The results are reasonable but require future experimental data for verification.

Hydrogen is a by-product of the gasification process and it is environmentally friendly with respect to pollution and emission issues when it is derived from a CO2-neutral resource such as biomass. It is an energy carrier fuel and has flexibility to convert efficiently to other energy forms to be used in different energy applications like fuel cells. The proposed research presents literature on previous gasification studies regarding hydrogen production from biomass and updates the obtained results. The main objectives of the thesis are: a) to study hydrogen production via steam biomass (sawdust) gasification; b) to evaluate the produced hydrogen by performing comprehensive analysis by using thermodynamic, exergoeconomic and optimization analyses. Despite details specific to the gasifier, in general, there is a special need to theoretically address the gasifier that gasifies biomass to produce hydrogen. This further study of gasification aspects presents a comprehensive performance assessment through energy and exergy analyses, provides results of the optimization studies on minimizing hydrogen production costs, and provides a thermo-economic analysis for the proposed systems (Systems I, II and III). This thesis also includes the results from the performed study that aims to investigate theoretical hydrogen production from biomass (sawdust) via gasification technology. Results from the performed parametric study show that the gasification ratio increases from 70 to 107 gH2 per kg of sawdust. In the gasification temperature studied, system II has the highest energy efficiency that considers electricity production where it increases from 72 % to 82 % and has the lowest energy efficiency that considers hydrogen yield where it increases from 45 % to 55 %. Also, it has the lowest hydrogen cost of 0.103 $/kW-h. The optimization results show that the optimum gasification temperatures for System I, System II and System III are 1139 K, 1245 K and 1205 K, respectively. / UOIT

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:59:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2722593 bytes, checksum: 7ccc7962d48ab26b6e9fcd799d120719 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The main goal of this study is the generation of electricity using a modern open top biomass gasifier, (having a water gas cleaning system) imported from India, and a 36 kVA engine-generator. The engine, originally a Diesel MWM D229-4 was converted at the Laboratório de Inovação da UFPB to run just with poor gas from the gasifier. The fact that the imported gasifier had been designed to feed a dual engine to generate at the maximum 20 kWe, caused some difficulty when associated with the converted engine which ran just with gas. Therefore, drastic changes needed to be introduced at the original gasifier because when the engine was running at levels of power greater than 8.4 kWe, a sudden interruption occurred due to flooding of the gas cleaning water. Upon the required modifications, the gasifier was able to produce sufficient poor gas to generate 26 kWe of power. The engine was tested for different ignition advance angles: 22°, 20°, 16° e 9° and for two different types of wood. It was noted that the angle adjustment had a great influence not only over the engine performance itself, but also on the efficiencies of the gasifier and consequently of the system composed by the gasifier and the electrical generator. In this adjustment the ignition advance angle of 9° stood out as one that could guarantee economic advantages and better performance for the system, when the entire experimental range of power is considered. Taking into account that in our experiments an additional of 6 kWe was obtained as compared to the designed value for the Indian system operating with a dual engine, running with diesel and poor gas, we can conclude that the present results and considerations point to the importance of using a biomass gasifier as a successful means of solving the electrical energy dilemma in Brazil. / O principal objetivo deste estudo é a geração de eletricidade usando um sistema formado por um gaseificador de biomassa, moderno, topo aberto (com um sistema de lavagem do gás), importado da Índia, e um grupo gerador de 36 kVA. O motor, originalmente a diesel MWM D229-4 foi convertido no Laboratório de Inovação da UFPB, para funcionar com gás pobre. O gaseificador foi projetado para alimentar um motor do tipo dual, com capacidade máxima de geração de 20 kWe. Foi usado, todavia, para alimentar um motor a diesel convertido para funcionar apenas com gás. Nestas condições não gerava potências superiores a 8,4 kWe, uma vez que ocorria parada brusca do motor, decorrente do seu encharcamento pela água de lavagem do gás. Este fato fez com que drásticas modificações no projeto original, fossem introduzidas. As alterações efetuadas possibilitaram a produção de gás suficiente para gerar 26 kWe. O motor foi testado com diferentes ângulos de ignição, 22°, 20°, 16° e 9°, e o gaseificador com dois diferentes tipos de rejeitos de madeira. Verificou-se que o ajuste do motor tinha grande influência nos desempenhos, do motor, do gaseificador e, consequentemente, no do sistema gaseificador/grupo gerador. Neste ajuste destacou-se o ângulo de ignição de 9° que permitiu maiores vantagens econômicas e melhores condições de funcionamento, quando todo o intervalo de potência ensaiado foi considerado. Levando em conta que a potência elétrica produzida com a biomassa residual foi 6 kW acima da estipulada para o sistema que funcionaria com o motor dual, isto é, com diesel e gás pobre, e tratando-se de um sistema ecologicamente correto, pode-se concluir sobre a importância do uso de gaseificadores de biomassa como sendo uma opção para resolver o dilema da energia elétrica no Brasil.

Die Arbeit zeigt wichtige Nutzungswege von fester Biomasse in Form von Holzhackschnitzel (HHS). Einleitend wird das Potenzial und der derzeitige Stand dargestellt. Es werden die physikalischen und chemischen Eigenschaften mit dem Schwerpunkt Wassergehalt in bezug auf die energetische Nutzung der HHS behandelt. Kerne der Nutzungswege bilden dabei die Vergasung im Gleichstromvergaser und die Co-Verbrennung in der Zirkulierenden Wirbelschicht. Mit Hilfe eines Versuchsvergasers werden die Auswirkungen von HHS-Eigenschaften auf den Betrieb untersucht. Der Modellvergaser IGEL bietet durch seine Konstruktion die Möglichkeit, innere Vorgänge zu beleuchten und Messungen in verschiedenen Vergaserebenen durchzuführen. Die Auswirkungen von verschiedenen Brennstoffchargen mit unterschiedlichem Wassergehalt führten zu Änderungen in der Gaszusammensetzung. Eigene Untersuchungen ermittelten einen Grenzwassergehalt, mit dem der Vergaser noch betrieben werden kann. Die Experimente an der Pilotanlage mit zirkulierender atmosphärischer Wirbelschicht befass-ten sich mit der wichtigen Frage, ob und welches NOx-Minderungspotenzial beim Einsatz von Biomasse vorliegt. Die mathematische Modellierung verdeutlicht die Nutzbarkeit von Simulationsprogrammen bei der Untersuchung von Einflüssen der Co-Verbrennung auf die NOx-Bildung. Hier wurden die Gesichtspunkte der Luftzahl, der Luftstufung, des Wassergehaltes, das Mischungsverhältnis und die Brennstoffstufung betrachtet. Eine Wirtschaftlichkeitsbetrachtung führt zu dem Ergebnis, dass Anlagen zur reinen Stromerzeugung mit Biomasse nur nahe der gesetzlichen Höchstleistung von 20 MWel zur Einspeisevergütung von wirtschaftlich betrieben werden können. Die ökologisch und ökonomisch günstigste Variante stellt die Co-Verbrennung in vorhandenen Anlagen dar. Die Kalkulationen zu den in Deutschland benötigten 20-MWel-Anlagen verdeutlichen, dass bei den gegenwärtig geplanten Heizkraftwerken das Potenzial an HHS schnell aufgebraucht ist.