• Energy Research

Particle properties such as size, shape and density play significant roles on particle flow and flame propagationin pulverized fuel combustion and gasification. A drop tube furnace allows for exper ...

Industrial gasifiers and combustors are assumed to reach particle heating rates of 10(5)-10(6) degrees C/s and understanding how particles behave in these extreme conditions can improve the utiliza ...

The design and validation of a newly commissioned entrained flow reactor is described in the present paper. The reactor was designed for advanced studies of fuel conversion and ash formation in powder flames, and the capabilities of the reactor were experimentally validated using two different solid biomass fuels. The drop tube geometry was equipped with a flat flame burner to heat and support the powder flame, optical access ports, a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system for in situ conversion monitoring, and probes for extraction of gases and particulate matter. A detailed description of the system is provided based on simulations and measurements, establishing the detailed temperature distribution and gas flow profiles. Mass balance closures of approximately 98% were achieved by combining gas analysis and particle extraction. Biomass fuel particles were successfully tracked using shadow imaging PIV, and the resulting data were used to determine the size, shape, velocity, and residence time of converting particles. Successful extractive sampling of coarse and fine particles during combustion while retaining their morphology was demonstrated, and it opens up for detailed time resolved studies of rapid ash transformation reactions; in the validation experiments, clear and systematic fractionation trends for K, Cl, S, and Si were observed for the two fuels tested. The combination of in situ access, accurate residence time estimations, and precise particle sampling for subsequent chemical analysis allows for a wide range of future studies, with implications and possibilities discussed in the paper.

Process design critically depends on the characterization of fuels and their kinetics under process conditions. This study steps beyond the fundamental methods of thermogravimetry to modulated (MTGA) and Hi-Res™ (high resolution) techniques to (1) add characterization detail and (2) increase the utility of thermal analysis data. Modulated TGA methods overlay sinusoidal functions on the heating rates to determine activation energy as a function of temperature with time. Under devolatilization conditions, Hi-Res™ TGA maintains a constant mass loss with time and temperature. These two methods, run independently or overlaid, offer additional analysis in which multiple samples at different heating rates are run to different final temperatures. Advanced methods allow researchers to use fewer samples by conducting fewer runs, targeting practical experimental designs, and quantifying errors easier. The parameters of the studies included here vary the heating rate at 10, 30, and 50 °C/min; vary gas-phase oxygen for pyrolysis or combustion conditions; and particle size ranges of 100–125 µm, 400–425 µm, and 600–630 µm. The two biomass fuels used in the studies are pinewood from Northern Sweden and wheat straw. The influence of torrefaction is also included at temperatures of 220, 250, and 280 °C. Apparent activation energy results align with the previous MTGA data in that combustion conditions yield higher values than pyrolysis conditions—200–250 kJ/mol and 175–225 kJ/mol for pine and wheat combustion, respectively, depending on pre-treatment. Results show the dependence of these parameters upon one another from a traditional thermal analysis approach, e.g., the Ozawa-Flynn-Wall method, as well as MTGA and Hi-Res™ thermogravimetric investigations to show future directions for thermal analysis techniques.

Abstract Design of a small scale rotating fluidized bed (RFB) with diameter of 4–6 cm to fluidize 40–80 μm diameter particles was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Simulations explored the impact of the following components on pressure drop and fluidized behavior of the device: particle size, particle density, outer diameter, solids loading, height, number of inlet slots, inlet slot width, angle of inlet slots, chimney diameter, chimney number of slots, chimney slot width, chimney slot angle, and position of the chimney relative to the inlets. Fluidized behavior was evaluated based on a “fluidization quality” metric yielding information about the distribution of particles in the device. Although additional work is required to elucidate design guidelines for small scale RFBs for fine particles, the initial designs evaluated in this work indicate potential for developing a fluidized bed of relatively small diameter, presenting opportunities for process intensification for numerous potential applications.

Alkali pretreatment is one of the chemical pretreatment technologies that has been examined on various types of lignocellulosic biomass. To gain a better insight into the effects of a potassium-based catalyst on pyrolysis behavior with different materials, potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) were used as additives in this study. The experimental parameters which included particle size, heating rate, and additive loading were investigated. The results showed that adding potassium for both KHCO3 and KNO3 to feedstocks led to increase in biochar. A model-free method, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO), was implemented in this study to determine the activation energy values for untreated and potassium-treated feedstocks. A reduction in apparent activation energy values of treated biomass was observed. This indicates that adding potassium salt to biomass influenced the structures of the main components and promoted the catalytic effect of pyrolysis. Activation energies of treated pine range from 250 to 308 kJ/mol, and energies of wheat straw range from 277 to 402 kJ/mol.

Abstract A novel extractive gas-phase sampling system was developed for use in a pressurized entrained-flow coal gasifier. The system comprised three parts: a water-cooled probe through which the sampled gases travel, a pneumatic cylinder that directs the radial sampling location, and the control system. The system was designed for safe sampling of the harsh environment in gasifiers and can help understand spatial distribution of concentrations in such a system. To confirm operation of the sampling system, gas-phase samples were extracted from the reaction zone of a 1 ton/day pilot entrained-flow coal gasifier operating at a pressure of 11 bar and at temperatures ranging from 1370 to 1540 °C. Concentrations of carbon monoxide and hydrogen decreased with increasing temperature while carbon dioxide increased with temperature, a result of the higher oxygen/fuel ratio needed to achieve the higher temperature. Synthesis gas (syngas) heating values decreased correspondingly with increasing temperature and the heating value of the syngas exiting the gasifier was higher than for syngas extracted from the reaction zone. Under conditions tested, no statistically significant variation in gas composition with radial position was observed.