Zugl.: München, Univ., Diss., 2007

Orientadores: Caio Glauco Sánchez, Elisabete Maria Saraiva Sanchez / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T23:59:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MarinMesa_LienadelRosario_M.pdf: 3046850 bytes, checksum: d16d04046b66c91b2aa858a286e8566f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Neste trabalho foi feita a caracterização físico-química de três variedades de cana-de-açúcar: a cana tradicional e dois novos tipos de cana para energia, visando avaliar o potencial energético. Ensaios de pirólise foram realizados numa balança termogravimétrica e uma planta de pirólise de capacidade de 20 kg/h de alimentação. Foi realizado um balanço de massa do processo, e foram obtidos modelos matemáticos que caracterizaram o comportamento do processo de pirólise nas diferentes condições. Esses resultados permitiram avaliar tecnicamente o processo de pirólise de cana integral, comparar os rendimentos obtidos em instalações de diferentes escalas e coletar informações para posteriores estudos desta tecnologia. A comparação entre as características físico-químicas dos três tipos de cana apresentou diferenças na umidade e no teor de cinzas para as diferentes partes da cana (colmo, ponteiro e folhas). Os ensaios em balança termogravimétrica mostraram que a taxa de aquecimento tem influência significativa no rendimento dos produtos líquidos, e nos ensaios de pirólise em planta piloto de 20 kg/h de alimentação, não apresentaram diferenças significativas nos rendimentos nem nas características dos produtos. Através do balanço de massa e energia, comparou-se a eficiência energética dos três tipos de cana, quando transformada através do processo de pirólise rápida. Observou-se que a diferença entre as três variedades está na produtividade destas por unidade de área cultivada, sendo a cana para energia Tipo 2, a que apresentou maior quantidade de energia útil por hectare (3110 MJ/hec), seguido da cana Tipo 1 (2400 MJ/hec) e com menor eficiência energética a cana tradicional (Tipo 3), com 1500 MJ/hec / Abstract: This work was carried out physico-chemical characterization of three varieties of cane sugar: cane traditional and new types of sugar for energy, to evaluate the potential energy. Pyrolysis tests were performed in a thermogravimetric balance and a pyrolysis plant capacity of 20 kg / h of power. We conducted a mass balance of the process, and mathematical models were obtained that characterized the behavior of the pyrolysis process in different conditions. These results allowed us to evaluate technically the pyrolysis of cane integral, compare the yields obtained in facilities of different scales and collect information for further study of this technology. Comparison of the physicochemical characteristics of three types of cane showed differences in moisture and ash content for different parts of the cane (stem, leaves and pointer). The thermogravimetric balance tests showed that the rate of warming has significant influence on the yield of liquid products, and pyrolysis tests in a pilot plant of 20 kg / h of feeding, no significant differences in income or the characteristics of the products. Through the balance of mass and energy, compared the energy efficiency of three types of cane, when transformed through the process of fast pyrolysis. It was observed that the difference between the three varieties of these is the productivity per unit area cultivated with sugarcane for energy type 2, had the greatest amount of useful energy per hectare (3110 MJ / ha), followed by a cane type 1 (2400 MJ / ha) and less energy efficient sugarcane traditional (Type 3), 1500 MJ / ha / Mestrado / Termica e Fluidos / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Orientador: Araí Augusta Bernárdez Pécora / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T08:12:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_JoaoPauloda_M.pdf: 4733188 bytes, checksum: eafa56a24fccf56e0480ae89bf0d28cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: O café é um importante produto na balança comercial brasileira e seu processamento gera a casca como um resíduo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi a caracterização física, termoquímica e fluidodinâmica da casca de café (coffea arábica, L) visando sua aplicação em processo de pirólise convencional em reator mecanicamente agitado e posterior caracterização das frações líquida e sólida geradas. O trabalho envolveu as seguintes etapas: (i) caracterização física e termoquímica da casca de café moída; (ii) ensaios fluidodinâmicos no leito contendo mistura binária casca de café-areia (5% de biomassa na mistura); (iii) ensaios de pirólise em reator mecanicamente agitado; e (iv) caracterização das frações sólida e líquida geradas no processo de pirólise. A etapa de caracterização das partículas envolveu a determinação da análise granulométrica, esfericidade, massas específicas, razão de Hausner, análise elementar, análise imediata, poder calorífico, análise termogravimétrica e diferencial térmica, análises da composição das cinzas e análise do teor de hemicelulose, celulose e lignina. Os ensaios de pirólise foram realizados seguindo um planejamento experimental composto central rotacional com objetivo de avaliar a influência da taxa de aquecimento (8 a 22 °C/min) e do tempo de estabilidade entre os estágios de aquecimento (1,2 a 6,8 min) sobre o rendimento da fração líquida. O maior rendimento da fração líquida foi de 56,5 %, obtido em uma taxa de aquecimento de 22°C/min e tempo de estabilidade entre os estágios de aquecimento de 4 min. Na etapa de caracterização do carvão vegetal gerado foram determinadas as massas especificas, análise elementar, análise imediata, poder calorífico, análise termogravimétrica e diferencial térmica, além da determinação da velocidade mínima de fluidização no leito contendo a mistura carvão-areia (5% de biomassa na mistura). A fração líquida foi submetida à análise de umidade, pH, poder calorífico e cromatografia gasosa acoplada a espectrometria de massa. Os resultados dos ensaios fluidodinâmicos mostraram que a presença de 5% (em massa) de casca de café no leito provoca o aumento da velocidade de mínima fluidização em 45%. Foi verificado que a casca de café possui um grande potencial como fonte energética para aplicação em processos de pirólise em função das propriedades do carvão e do líquido gerado em temperaturas superiores a 300oC. A composição e teor de cinzas da casca de café também fazem do carvão uma boa opção como fertilizante em função dos nutrientes presentes. Em todas as frações líquidas geradas foram observados compostos com aplicações industriais, mostrando que o óleo obtido através da pirólise da casca de café possui potencial não só como combustível, mas também como fonte de componentes para a indústria química / Abstract: Coffee is an important product in the Brazilian commercial balance and its processing generates husks as waste. In order to increase information available about coffee husks biomass and its energetic potential, this work presents an experimental study including: (i) physical and thermo-chemical characterization of grinded coffee husks; (ii) hydrodynamics tests to minimum fluidization velocity determination of the binary mixture coffee husks-sand (5% weight fraction of biomass); (iii) pyrolysis tests in a mechanically agitated bed; and (iv) characterization of pyrolysis solid and liquid products. The particle characterization step included the determination of particle size distribution, sphericity, densities, Hausner ratio, ultimate and proximate analysis, heating value, thermo-gravimetric analysis, thermo-differential analysis, ash composition, and hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignin content. The pyrolysis tests were carried out following a central composite rotate design of experiments in order to evaluate the heating rate (from 8 to 22oC/min) and the time between the heating stages (from 1.2 to 6.8min) on the bio oil yield. The bio-oil greatest yield was 56.5% that was obtained using a heating rate of 22oC/min and time between the heating stages of 4min. The bio-char characterization involved density, ultimate and proximate analyses, heating value, thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential thermal analyses and determination of the minimum fluidization velocity of the char-sand mixture (5% weight fraction of biomass). The liquid fraction was submitted to moisture, pH, heating value and gas chromatography (using a mass spectrometer) analysis. Results from hydrodynamics studies show that the presence of 5% biomass in the bed material increases the minimum fluidized bed velocity about 45%. Pyrolysis results show that coffee husks presents a good potential as feedstock to the process due to char and bio-oil (fractions obtained at temperatures higher than 300oC) properties. Additionally, results from ash characterization showed that the bio-char produced presents a good potential as fertilizer. High values chemical compounds were identified in the produced liquid fractions, showing that this product presents high potential, not only as a fuel, but also as a source of chemical compounds to the chemical industry / Mestrado / Termica e Fluidos / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Face à la demande énergétique de plus en plus croissante, et les problèmes environnementaux qui en découlent, la biomasse, en tant que vecteur énergétique et en association avec des techniques thermochimiques de conversion en gaz combustibles, pourrait être un vecteur énergétique intéressant s’il est produit de manière durable. En effet, accroitre le bouquet énergétique, en substituant d’avantage les énergies fossiles par des énergies renouvelables est devenu une réalité incontournable. De ce fait, les résidus agro-sylvo-pastoraux présentent un potentiel important au Sénégal en général et en particulier dans la région de Ziguinchor jadis appelée grenier du Sénégal, et des technologies de valorisation comme la pyrolyse et gazéification se trouvent parmi les voies les plus prometteuses pour la production d’énergie. Ainsi le modèle dynamique de Saeman basé sur la détermination des propriétés intrinsèques des résidus utilisés a été mis en œuvre afin de simuler l’écoulement de la charge de coques de cajou, de palme et d’arachide. Le modèle dynamique ainsi développé va permettre d'étudier l’influence des conditions opératoires et propriétés rhéologiques sur les profils de chargement, qui conduiront par la suite aux meilleurs transferts de chaleur et de masse dans les fours tournants en situation inerte comme réactive. Les meilleures conditions expérimentales retenues pour cette étude hydrodynamique sont : des vitesses de rotations comprises entre 2 - 4 tr/min, une inclinaison de 1°, et un rapport longueur sur diamètre supérieur ou égal à 0,05. La gazéification des trois résidus sous différents atmosphères (100 % -H2O, 75 % -H2O / 25 %- CO2, 50 % -H2O / 50 % -CO2, 25 % -H2O / 75 % -CO2, et 100 % -CO2) et à différentes températures comprises entre 950 - 1050 °C dans un réacteur à lit fixe ont permis de valider les résultats issus de la littérature qui mettent bien en évidence l’effet positif de la température sur la cinétique de gazéification des différents chars de résidus de biomasse. La pyrolyse de nos trois échantillons donne ainsi des rendements qui sont de 36,44 % pour la coque d’arachide, 37,28 % pour la coque de cajou et 39,97 % pour la coque de palme et quant à leur gazéification, elle conduit respectivement à des énergies d’activation comprises entre 110 - 126 kJ/mol, 104 - 125 kJ/mol et 116 - 150 kJ/mol. Les mesures expérimentales montrent aussi l’influence de la température sur la valeur du PCI des gaz obtenus (8 - 12 MJ/Nm3) et que ce PCI des gaz est inversement proportionnel à la taille des particules de biomasse. Par ailleurs la gazéification sous atmosphère mixte de vapeur d’eau et de gaz carbonique a montré que la réactivité des différents chars est fonction de l’augmentation de la concentration en vapeur d’eau. Le bilan global d’une telle étude expérimentale sur l’hydrodynamique et sur la dégradation thermique visant la maîtrise des phénomènes au sein des fours tournants permet ainsi une première analyse dans la mise en place de combustibles alternatifs pour la valorisation des potentialités locales de la région verte de la Casamance. / In view of the growing energy demand and the resulting environmental problems, biomass as an energy vector and at combination with thermochemical techniques for conversion into combustible gases, could be an interesting energy vector if it is produced in a sustainable manner. Indeed, increasing the energy mix, by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies, has become an undeniable reality. As a result, agro-sylvo-pastoral residues have significant potential in Senegal in general and in particular in Ziguinchor region, formerly known as Senegal's granary, and valorisation technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification are among the most promising way for energy production. The Seaman’s dynamic model based on the determination of the intrinsic properties of the residues used has been implemented in order to simulate the flow of cashew, palm and peanut shells. Thus, the dynamic model developed will make it possible to study the influence of the operating conditions and rheological properties on the loading profiles which will conduct later of the best heat and mass transfers in the rotating furnaces in inert and reactive conditions. The best experimental conditions for this hydrodynamic study are: rotational speeds between 2 - 4 rpm, inclination of 1 °, and length to diameter ratio greater than or equal to 0.05. The gasification of the three residues under different atmospheres (100 % -H2O, 75 % -H2O / 25 %-CO2, 50 % -H2O / 50 % -CO2, 25 % -H2O / 75 % -CO2, and 100 % -CO2) and at different temperatures between 950 - 1050 °C in a fixed bed reactor enable to validate the results from the literature which clearly show the positive effect of temperature on the gasification kinetics of the various chars. The pyrolysis of our three samples gives yields of 36.44 % for the peanut shell, 37.28 % for the cashew shell and 39.97 % for the palm shell; and when gasified, it leads respectively at activation energies between 110 - 126 kJ / mol, 104 - 125 kJ / mol and 116 - 150 kJ / mol. The experimental measurements also show the influence of temperature on the Lower heating gas values (LHV) obtained (8 - 12 MJ/Nm3) and that, this LHV of gas is inversely proportional to the size of the biomass particles. Moreover, the gasification under mixed atmosphere of steam and carbon dioxide showed that the reactivity of the different chars depend on the increase of the concentration of water vapor. The overall assessment of such an experimental study on the hydrodynamic and thermal degradation of our residues aimed at controlling the phenomena within rotating furnaces (kilns) allows an initial analysis in the setting up of alternative fuels for the valorization of the local potentialities of the green region of Casamance.

Fire presents a great risk to humans and their possessions. Polymeric compounds are highly flammable and compounds are added to increase their fire resistance. These additives are referred to as flame retardants. Intumescent flame retardants are systems that form a carbon rich foam on the surface of the polymer during thermal degradation. A new field of metal catalysed intumescence is discussed in this document. The influence of both the metal ion and organic backbone of polyhydroxylcarboxylic acid metal salts was studied. The intumescence and foaming properties of selected salts were studied in more detail. Gluconic acid proved to be the best intumescent and showed the best combination of carbon char yield, foam structure and volume, stability and open flame characteristics. As a general rule of thumb, the char volume and structure improved with an increased number of hydroxyl groups in the compound. Carbon char yield increased with an increase in the number of hydroxyl groups for a constant number of carbons in the complex. The number of acid groups in the compound played a lesser role in intumescence. Most metal complexes catalyse intumescent decomposition of polyhydric compounds such as polyhydroxylcarboxylic acids and pentaerythritol. The reduction in the volatilisation losses implies that the metal cations catalyse carbonisation reactions in the polyhydroxyl compound. Unfortunately, the resultant carbon-foams are unstable: the metal residues also catalyse the further oxidative degradation of the char. The low thermal stability of the compositions tested, as well as the afterglow effect makes them unsuitable for use as flame retardant additives in plastics. From the studies of the different metal complexes with acetylacetone and gluconic acid, it was concluded that the calcium ion exhibited the most promise. When pyrolysed in air with an open gas flame or in a furnace, calcium gluconate monohydrate produces voluminous foam. The foam is of a closed cell structure, densely packed and has no mechanical strength. The cell walls are very thin (5 to 50 nm) and the cells are between 50 µm and 200 µm in size. If the sample is compressed before heating, the resultant foam produced during pyrolysis is less voluminous than that of the loose powder. The BET surface area of the calcium gluconate monohydrate foamed at 300°C for 5 min. is 16.0 m2/g. The foam produced after 5 min heating at 300°C has a thermal conductivity similar to standard polystyrene foam. Adding leached silica to the calcium gluconate monohydrate increases mechanical strength of the foam, but influences the foam volume negatively. The optimum silica level was calculated to be 1:1 gluconate to silica on a mole ratio (11.8% SiO2 by mass). The mechanical strength of the foam can also be increased with the addition of expandable graphite. The graphite has a lesser influence on the foam volume than the silica, but also reduces the foam volume. However, the addition of the expandable graphite gives the sample more .opening. force, as the foam volume of a compressed sample pyrolysed, is similar to that of the heated loose powder. Calcium gluconate monohydrate starts to degrade at 120°C, losing its crystal water and shows a mass loss of 4% at 180°C. The exothermic peak (shown in the DSC/TGA data) associated with the metal catalysed carbon oxidation (afterglow) is observed at 570°C in air. For the calcium gluconate monohydrate the transition from CaCO3 to CaO occurs above 650°C in air. It has been shown that the foaming of polyhydroxylcarboxylic acids is due to the formation of water vapour during degradation. For calcium gluconate monohydrate, foaming starts due to the loss of crystal water and is continued by the loss of hydroxyl groups as water. The bulk of the foaming is due to the second reaction. It has been shown that compounds with crystal waters produce a more voluminous and lower density foam. The foam is an amorphous carbon rich residue. The molecular mass of the carbon residue increases up to a heating temperature of 300°C. This implies that the carbon residue crosslinks during formation, forming a stretchable cell wall for the foam. Compounds with a .free. hydroxyl group at the end of the carbon chain produce a foam of larger volume and lower density. This supports the crosslinking theory. The foam produced when calcium gluconate monohydrate is heated for 5 min at 300°C in air is of very low density . 2.5 kg/m3 based on residual mass. The density of the calcium gluconate monohydrate pyrolysed at 1000°C for 5 min in air yields a CaO with a density of 20 kg/m3 . This implies that the high temperature pyrolysis of calcium gluconate can produce an inorganic oxide of low bulk density and possible high specific surface area. The BET surface area of CaCO3 from the gluconate pyrolysed at 600°C is ~ 12 m2 /g. An intumescent coating containing calcium gluconate monohydrate, leached silica and expandable graphite as a system was prepared and compared to commercial formulations. This gluconate based system was at least as efficient as the commercial formulations when painted on balsa wood planks or aluminium plates. On cardboard sheets it did not perform as well as the commercial systems. More work should be done to overcome the afterglow effect observed with metal- based intumescent systems. The crystal structure of calcium gluconate monohydrate should be determined as to understand the decomposition better. It is unclear whether the decomposition is catalysed inter- or intramolecularly. / Thesis (PhD(Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

No description available.

<p></p><p>Biomass and shale gas have been proposed as alternate sources of liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Traditional petroleum refining, however, is not capable of directly converting either the highly oxygenated molecular structure of lignocellulosic biomass or the low molecular weight alkanes of shale gas into liquid fuels. In this work, we investigate two processes to generate fuels by upgrading low molecular weight species present in biomass pyrolysis vapors and in shale gas via carbon-carbon coupling reactions of low molecular weight species present in biomass pyrolysis vapors and shale gas. </p> <p>In the first process, fast pyrolysis and hydrodeoxygenation are used to convert woody biomass into hydrocarbons. However, 22% of the carbon in this process forms C₁-C₃ species which are unsuitable for use as liquid fuels. Aldol condensation has been proposed as a means of leveraging carbonyl groups present in the pyrolysis product distribution prior to hydrodeoxygenation in order to couple low molecular weight species such as glycolaldehyde to transform the C₁-C₃ fraction into C₄₊ species. We demonstrate that aldol condensation of fast pyrolysis vapors results in a large (10%) reduction in carbon yield to C₆ species and only a small (5%) reduction in carbon yield to C₁-C₃ species to form C₇₊ products, suggesting that higher molecular weight species undergo significant reaction over the aldol condensation catalyst. We demonstrate a pathway by which levoglucosan can be converted into levoglucosenone, which then forms C₇₊ species through self-aldol condensation and condensation with light oxygenates. </p> <p>In the second process, light olefins in shale gas, consisting primarily of ethane and propane, are dehydrogenated and oligomerized into higher molecular weight species. Ni cation sites exchanged onto microporous materials catalyze ethene oligomerization to butenes and heavier oligomers, but also undergo rapid deactivation. The use of mesoporous supports has been reported in the literature to alleviate deactivation in regimes of high ethene pressures and low temperatures that cause capillary condensation of ethene within mesoporous voids. Here, we reproduce prior literature findings on mesoporous Ni-MCM-41 and report that, in sharp contrast, reaction conditions that nominally correspond to ethene capillary condensation in microporous Ni-Beta or Ni-FAU zeolites do not mitigate deactivation, likely because confinement within microporous voids restricts the formation of condensed phases of ethene <a>that are effective at solvating and desorbing heavier intermediates that are precursors to deactivation</a>. Deactivation rates are found to transition from a first-order to a second-order dependence on Ni site density in Ni-FAU zeolites with increasing ethene pressure, suggesting a transition in the dominant deactivation mechanism involving a single Ni site to one involving two Ni sites, reminiscent of the effects of increasing H₂ pressure on changing the kinetic order of deactivation in our prior work on Ni-Beta zeolites.</p><br><p></p>

The main objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the oxidation rate of large (five to eight millimeters in diameter) coal and char particles. To accomplish this, experiments were performed in which the gas temperature, gas velocity, particle size, partial pressure of oxygen, and total pressure were varied. The experiments were performed with the cantilever balance attachment and the high pressure controlled profile reactor. Approximately 90 combustion experiments were performed with Pittsburgh, Utah Blind Canyon, and Wyodak-Anderson coal. These experiments were performed at atmospheric pressure with air and varied gas temperature, gas velocity, and particle size. Following the experiments performed with coal, approximately 70 experiments were performed with char made from Pittsburgh coal. These experiments varied all the environmental conditions mentioned above as well as partial pressure of oxygen and total pressure. After the experiments were completed, the data were analyzed and the following conclusions were made. An increase in the partial pressure of oxygen dramatically increased the oxidation rate when the total pressure remained constant. The oxidation rate was only slightly affected when the partial pressure of oxygen was raised by increasing the total pressure. The oxidation rate dramatically decreased when the partial pressure of oxygen was held constant and the total pressure was raised. The oxidation rate noticeably increased when the initial mass of the particle was decreased. The gas temperature and gas velocity did not affect the oxidation rate greatly for the experiments performed with coal. The oxidation rate increased for the experiments performed with char at the high gas temperature and high gas velocity conditions.

No description available.

Climate change and its accompanying environmental issues have caused the building industry to use more environmentally friendly building materials. Wood have always been a buildingmaterial but due to the renewed interest in imparting sustainability and renewability, its usage has increased over the recent years. With a rising interest in wood, it is of great importance to enhance the knowledge of its burning behaviour in order to predict and prevent fire hazards. Fire development is often characterized in terms of heat release rate (HRR) as a function oftime. Therefore, HRR is considered one of the most important variables in the evaluation of material fire hazards. This study aims to generate greater knowledge of the HRR curve of wood when exposed to heating in the cone calorimeter and how the curve can be described quantitatively. Furthermore, it was attempted to comprehend the properties and functions of char and its effects on HRR during combustion. The study is based on laboratory tests carried out with a cone calorimeter and a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The cone calorimeter was set to generate a heat flux of 35 kWm-2. Spruce wood samples of three thicknesses were analysed, namely 10, 20 and 30mm. The samples were assembled with one of three types of material on the rear side of the samples, which were Kaowool, steel plates and aluminium foil wrapped around wood. The different materials were used as they are greatly dissimilar in their thermal properties. Wood with both low and normal moisture content was also analysed. Char was analysed with SEM. The results show that there are four major points of interest in the HRR curve of wood. The first point is the initial peak heat release rate (PHRR) that occurs when the sample surface ignites causing great production of heat which increases the HRR. The second point of interest is the vast decrease in HRR soon after the first PHRR, this is due to char formation, which acts as a protective barrier preventing the exchange of volatile gases and oxygen. The third point of interest is a second PHRR close to the end of the combustion that occurs as a response to sample burn through, which means that the heat gradient reaches the rear side of the sample. The second PHRR is highly dependent on the boundary condition defined by the rear material, which determines the heat losses at the rear side of the specimen, and consequently the temperature of the specimen. The higher is the specimen temperature, the higher is the pyrolysis rate, and therefore also the higher the second PHRR. Moreover, high moisture content delays the time of occurrence of the second PHRR as more water needs to undergo phase change, which requires a high amount of energy. The final point of interest is the final decrease in HRR as a result of fuel depletion leading to the sample smouldering or the fire being extinguished. Char, formed by mainly lignin and some cellulose in wood, affects the overall HRR. The SEM analysis showed that the char cracks grew wider during the second PHRR. It is, however, observed that char cracking has no significance in the time of occurrence of the second PHRR as this is based on sample burn through, and it was difficult to determine to what extent char cracking affected the intensity of the PHRR. This systematic study is considered adequate to justify the research questions and aim of this study. It has also created new questions for further study in the area as well as provided a deeper understanding of the fundamental burning behaviour of wood. / Klimatförändringen och dess medföljande miljöfrågor har fått byggbranschen att använda mer hållbara och miljövänliga byggmaterial. Trä har alltid varit ett byggmaterial men på grund av ett förnyat intresse för hållbarhet och förnybarhet har användningen av materialet ökat under de senaste åren. Med ett stigande intresse för trä är det av stor vikt att öka kunskapen om dess förbränningsbeteende för att kunna förutse och förebygga brandrisker. Brandutveckling karakteriseras ofta i termer av värmeavgivningshastighet (HRR) som funktion av tid. Det är därför en av de viktigaste variablerna i utvärderingen av brandrisker. Denna studie syftar till att skapa större kunskap om HRR-kurvan för trä när det utsätts för värme i konkalorimetern och hur kurvan kan beskrivas kvantitativt. Vidare, att studera kollagrets egenskaper och funktioner samt hur det påverkar HRR under förbränning. Studien bygger på laborativa försök utförda med en konkalorimeter och ett svepelektronmikroskop (SEM). Konkalorimetern genererade strålning med intensitet 35 kWm-2. Tre tjocklekar av granprover testades, 10, 20 och 30 mm. Proverna placerades ovanpå en av tre typer av material i en provform, Kaowool, stålplattor och trä invirat i aluminiumfolie. Materialen användes då deras termiska egenskaper skiljer sig åt. Vidare testades även trä av både låg och normal fukthalt. Kollagret analyserades med SEM. Resultatet visar att det finns fyra intressanta områden på HRR-kurvan för trä. Det första är den initiala maximala värmeavgivningshastigheten (PHRR) som inträffar när provytan antänder vilket orsakar en stor värmeproduktion som ökar HRR. Det andra är en kraftig minskning av HRR strax efter den första PHRR. Detta beror på att kol börjat bildas på provytan, kollagret fungerar som en skyddande barriär som förhindrar utbyte av flyktiga gaser och syre. Det tredje är en andra PHRR som inträffar nära brandprovets slut. Detta sker till följd av provkroppsgenombränning som innebär att värmegradienten når provets baksida. Intensitetenav PHRR är starkt beroende av materialet bakom provet. Det bestämmer värmeförlusten på provets baksida och därmed även provkroppens temperatur. Ju högre provkroppstemperaturenär, desto högre är pyrolyshastigheten vilket leder till en högre andra PHRR. Hög fukthalt fördröjer även tidpunkten för uppkomsten av den andra PHRR eftersom fasomvandling av vatten kräver en stor mängd energi. Det sista och fjärde området av intresse är en minskning av HRR efter den andra PHRR, detta sker när allt bränsle förbränts och det som kvarstår är endast ett glödande prov. Kollagret, som främst bildas av lignin och en del cellulosa i träet, påverkar den totala HRR. SEM-analysen visade att sprickorna i kollagret blev bredare under den andra PHRR. Däremot observerades det att sprickbildningen inte har någon betydelse för tidpunkten av den andra PHRR uppkomst då denna enbart är baserad på provets genombränning. Det är även svårt att avgöra i vilken utsträckning sprickbildningen påverkar intensiteten av PHRR. Metoden som används för att besvara frågeställningarna och syftet anses vara adekvat. Studien har öppnat upp för ytterligare frågeställningar och idéer till fortsatta försök inom området. Vidare har även studien gett en djupare förståelse om förbränningsbeteendet av trä.