The demand for energy to sustain the economies of industrialized and developing nations has led to the search for alternatives to the use of imported petroleum fuels. Instability in the Middle Eastern countries, the major exporting sources for these petroleum feedstocks, has led to questions of availability in addition to the economic issues. While coal and nuclear technologies are currently the leading sources for reduction of petroleum imports, wood and other biomass feedstocks have garnered attention as to their potential as additional alternatives. Studies have shown that the amount of biomass waste resources in the United States, if converted effectively, could significantly reduce the need for petroleum imports. The focus of this research is to examine a patented, entrained flow, steam gasification process for the ability to produce gaseous components suitable for use as a fuel or in subsequent conversion processes, such as production of alcohol or diesel. The primary gases which are examined are hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane. The process is characterized using a nominal 3 ton (wood) per day “pre-pilot” facility and a nominal 30 ton (wood) per day “pilot” unit. Each of these gasification systems are characterized for production of primary gases using wood as the feedstock. As part of these characterizations, “equivalent” temperatures and residence times were developed that better described the process operations. An important consideration in the development of any industrial process is the ability to scale-up from a conceptual, or preliminary, scale to a size capable of commercial operation. As such, the characterizations of the two gasification systems were compared and relationships were developed to allow predictions of product gas compositions based on gasifier size as well as operating parameters.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-5283 |
| Date | 03 May 2008 |
| Creators | Pearson, Larry Everette |
| Publisher | Scholars Junction |
| Source Sets | Mississippi State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
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