| 1. |
- Binti Munajat, Nur Farizan
(författare)
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Combustion of gasified biomass: : Experimental investigation on laminar flame speed, lean blowoff limit and emission levels
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Biomass is among the primary alternative energy sources that supplements the fossil fuels to meet today’s energy demand. Gasification is an efficient and environmental friendly technology for converting the energy content in the biomass into a combustible gas mixture, which can be used in various applications. The composition of this gas mixture varies greatly depending on the gasification agent, gasifier design and its operation parameters and can be classified as low and medium LHV gasified biomass. The wide range of possible gas composition between each of these classes and even within each class itself can be a challenge in the combustion for heat and/or power production. The difficulty is primarily associated with the range in the combustion properties that may affect the stability and the emission levels. Therefore, this thesis is intended to provide data of combustion properties for improving the operation or design of atmospheric combustion devices operated with such gas mixtures.The first part of this thesis presents a series of experimental work on combustion of low LHV gasified biomass (a simulated gas mixture of CO/H2/CH4/CO2/N2) with variation in the content of H2O and tar compound (simulated by C6H6). The laminar flame speed, lean blowoff limit and emission levels of low LHV gasified biomass based on the premixed combustion concept are reported in paper I and III. The results show that the presence of H2O and C6H6 in gasified biomass can give positive effects on these combustion parameters (laminar flame speed, lean blowoff limit and emission levels), but also that there are limits for these effects. Addition of a low percentage of H2O in the gasified biomass resulted in almost constant laminar flame speed and combustion temperature of the gas mixture, while its NOx emission and blowoff temperature were decreased. The opposite condition was found when H2O content was further increased. The blowoff limit was shifted to richer fuel equivalence ratio as H2O increased. A temperature limit was observed where CO emission could be maintained at low concentration. With C6H6 addition, the laminar flame speed first decreased, achieved a minimum value, and then increased with further addition of C6H6. The combustion temperature and NOx emission were increased, CO emission was reduced, and blowoff occurs at slightly higher equivalence ratio and temperature when C6H6 content is increased. The comparison with natural gas (simulated by CH4) is also made as can be found in paper I and II. Lower laminar flame speed, combustion temperature, slightly higher CO emission, lower NOx emission and leaner blowoff limit were obtained for low LHV gas mixture in comparison to natural gas.In the second part of the thesis, the focus is put on the combustion of a wide range of gasified biomass types, ranging from low to medium LHV gas mixture (paper IV). The correlation between laminar flame speed or lean blowoff limit and the composition of various gas mixtures was investigated (paper IV). It was found that H2 and content of diluents have higher influence on the laminar flame speed of the gas mixture compared to its CO and hydrocarbon contents. For lean blowoff limit, the diluents have the greatest impact followed by H2 and CO. The mathematical correlations derived from the study can be used to for models of these two combustion parameters for a wide range of gasified biomass fuel compositions.
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| 2. |
- Binti Munajat, Nur Farizan, et al.
(författare)
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Correlation of laminar flame speed and lean blowoff limit with the fuel composition of gasified biomass
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Ingår i: Fuel. - 0016-2361 .- 1873-7153.
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The composition of the product gas produced from a biomass gasification process varies largely depending on several operational factors. The present study gathers the combustion information of different fuel mixtures that resemble the wide range of product gases from biomass gasification process. Two combustion parameters that are laminar flame speed, SL and lean blowoff limit, ERblowoff have been studied as functions of the content of H2 in the fuel mixture as well as the ratios of CO/H2, hydrocarbons/H2 and diluents/H2. From the plotted graphs, mathematical correlations between the parameter studied and the component of the gas mixture have been derived. The equations developed can be used to calculate the laminar flame speed and blowoff equivalent ratio for a wide range of gasified biomass. The graphs show that the H2 content and diluents/H2 ratio have the greatest influence on the laminar flame speed of the gas mixture and higher effect compared to the influence by the ratio of CO/H2 and hydrocarbons/H2. For the lean blowoff limit, the descending order of influence is the ratio of diluents/H2, H2 content and the ratio of CO/H2. While no importance on the lean blowoff limit is observed for the ratio of hydrocarbons/H2.
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| 3. |
- Binti Munajat, Nur Farizan, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of water vapour and tar compound on combustion of simulated gasified biomass
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Ingår i: Fuel. - 0016-2361 .- 1873-7153.
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Gasification is a thermo‐chemical process which converts biomass fuel into a gaseous mixture, gasified biomass, which can be used in various prime movers. For heat and power generation, using gasified biomass in a combustion device, for example, can give lower undesired emission compared to direct combustion of solid biomass. However, with regards to its variety in composition and lower heating value, the combustion behaviour of gasified biomass may differ from natural gas. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of water and tar compound on the combustion of simulated gasified biomass, which mainly contains CO, H2, CH4, CO2, N2. The combustion tests are conducted at atmospheric pressure in a premixed combustor. At a fixed input thermal load, CO and NOx emission levels, combustion temperature, and blowoff characteristics of gasified biomass are observed while varying the volume fraction of water (H2O) or benzene (C6H6) vapours in the fuel mixture. With low H2O level in the fuel mixture, the combustion temperature is almost constant, while NOx emission is decreased compared to dry gasified biomass. On the contrary, the combustion temperature decreases and NOx emission is almost constant at higher H2O content. A temperature limit was observed where CO emission could be maintained at low concentration. The blowoff limit was shifted to higher equivalence ratio. The blowoff temperature was first slightly decreased at lower H2O level and raised when H2O level is further increased. With the content of C6H6, the combustion temperature and NOx emission enhanced, while CO emission was reduced. The blowoff occurs at slightly higher equivalence ratio and temperature compared to gasified biomass without C6H6. The study shows that the presence of H2O and C6H6 in gasified biomass may give positive effects on the emission characteristics during combustion, but also that there are limits for these effects.
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| 4. |
- Binti Munajat, Nur Farizan, et al.
(författare)
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Temperature, emission and lean blowoff limit of simulated gasified biomass in a premixed combustor
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Ingår i: Applied Energy. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118.
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Biomass can be converted to a gaseous fuel through gasification in order to be used in higher efficiency conversion. Combustion of gasified biomass gas (GBG) in gas turbines, for example, potentially reduces the CO2 emission compared to natural gas and diminishes the dependence of fossil fuels. However, the wide variety in the gas composition and its lower heating value will affect the subsequent combustion process with respect to emission levels and flame stability. In this study, premixed combustion of simulated GBG is investigated experimentally at atmospheric pressure and compared with pure CH4 (simulated natural gas). Combustion performance in terms of emission levels and blowoff is observed. The GBG fuel with noncombustible to combustible components ratio of 1.5 is tested in comparison with pure CH4 at fixed input thermal load. The GBG fuel consists of a mixture of CO/H2/CH4/CO2/N2and its proportion reassembles the mixture from air‐blown gasification. The high diluent content decreases the lower heating value (LHV) and increases the volumetric flow compared to CH4. As a result, lower combustion temperature and different flame region than CH4were found in the combustor. However, the GBG combustion still can be stabilized at lower temperature and leaner condition compared to CH4 while maintaining low CO and NOx emissions. As low as ~15 ppm and ~5ppm of CO and NOxemissions, respectively, could be achieved at an equivalence ratio equal to 0.5. It was found that at a combustion temperature below ~800oC, both CO and UHC start to rise from their stable and low concentration. At different input thermal loads, a shift in the optimum operating condition for the GBG combustion was found. No auto‐ignition or flashback events were found during the combustion of GBG in all experiment conditions tested. The results show the possibility to use both GBG and natural gas in one and the same combustor without compromising low emission levels.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Cardozo Rocabado, Evelyn, et al.
(författare)
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Combustion of agricultural residues : An experimental study for small-scale applications
- 2014
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Ingår i: Fuel. - : Elsevier. - 0016-2361 .- 1873-7153. ; 115, s. 778-787
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy services could be greatly improved by using of residues from local food industries in small-scale combustion units. Wood pellets are a reliant and proven fuel to be used in small-scale combustion units. However, these units should preferably be able to use different types of biomass depending what it is locally available. Therefore, studies have been focused on exploring the suitability of using agricultural residues for small-scale heat and power generation using direct combustion. This study targets to compare the combustion of different agricultural residues in a single unit designed for wood pellets. The different biomass fuels used are circle divide 6 mm and circle divide 8 mmwood pellets, circle divide 6 mmbagasse pellets, circle divide 6 mmsunflower husk (SFH) pellets and Brazil nut (BN) shells. The results reveal a decrease in the fuel power input, higher oxygen levels in the flue gases and shorter cycles for ash removal when using the agricultural residues. The excess air ratio was calculated based on a mass balance and compared with a standard equation showing a good agreement. CO and NO emission levels as well as the relative conversion of fuel-C to CO were higher for the BN shells and SFH pellets in comparison to the other biomass types. SO2 emission was estimated based on the analysis of unburned sulfur in ash and mass balances; the higher estimated levels corresponded to the BN shells and SFH pellets. All the biomass sorts presented over 95% relative conversion of fuel-C to CO2. Wood pellets and BN shells presented the highest amount of unburned carbon in ash relative to the fuel-C. The relative conversion of fuel-N to NO and fuel-S to SO2 were higher for wood pellets. Bagasse pellets showed similar emission levels and relative conversion efficiency to wood pellets.
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| 7. |
- Cardozo Rocabado, Evelyn, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of the thermal power availability of different agricultural residues using a residential boiler
- 2016
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Ingår i: BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY. - : Springer. - 2190-6815 .- 2190-6823. ; 6:4, s. 435-447
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study presents a comparison of combustion performance, losses, and efficiency at steady-state and transient conditions for different biomass types in a residential boiler. The types of biomass used were 6 and 8 mm wood pellets, 6 mm sugarcane bagasse pellets, 6 mm sunflower husk pellets, and Brazil nut shells. The comparison in the development of the temperature in the combustion chamber during the start-up revealed that the 6 mm wood pellets ignite and propagate faster than the rest of the biomass fuels due to their smaller size compared with 8 mm wood pellets and lower ash content compared with the rest of the biomass sorts. Thermal power output and efficiencies under steady-state and transient conditions were calculated by the direct method, i.e., by measuring the heat recovery by the water boiler, and the indirect method, i.e., by measuring the heat losses. By using the indirect method, the availability of the flue gas thermal power during the start-up was seen more in detail than when the other method was applied. When comparing both methods as tools for boiler efficiency evaluation for different fuel types, the discrepancy of the resulting efficiencies between is larger when there are higher amounts of chemical losses in the boiler. Therefore, this method shows good agreement also for bagasse pellets but is, without modification, proposed not to be valid for fuels emitting higher amount of carbon monoxide (CO). Boiler efficiencies reached class 3 boilers according to EN 303-5 (> 74.8 %) for all biomass sorts.
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| 8. |
- Erlich, Catharina
(författare)
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Comparative study of residue pellets from cane sugar and palm-oil industries with commercial wood pellets, applied in downdraft gasification
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- While biomass utilization for energy conversion in the industrialized nations is being largely developed, highly efficient and environmentally friendly, many tropical countries still use biomass at low efficiencies and high emission levels. The main reasons for these gaps are both political and technological: the energy markets are different, the Gross National Product (GDP) differs widely, and the feedstock differs in form and conversion behaviour. By implementing newer technologies adapted for tropical biomass feedstock, there would be a large potential in these countries for increased energy services since access to modern energy still is an essential step for improving the GDP for a country. Two dominant and tropically placed industries available for energy improvements are the cane sugar and palm-oil industries, which both produce an abundant amount of biomass residues. One step towards enhanced utilization of the residues, which would not require large investment costs in the power plant section nor in the processes of these industries, would be to install a pelletizing unit in the industry area to make fuel out of the excess residues for sale to the nearby villages. The pellets could be used both for cooking/heating and for small-scale power generation in a gasification-IC engine plant. The overall objective of this study is to experimentally evaluate the biomass residues in pellet form from the cane sugar and palm oil industries during conversion to useful energy in small-scale systems. The thesis is built upon five publications which include experimental analysis on flaming pyrolysis and rapid heating of pellets (paper I), pyrolysis in oxygen-free atmosphere and slow heating with subsequent steam gasification (paper II), global pelletizing data such as relative energy consumption, temperature levels, particle size and moisture content for successful pelletizing process (paper III), downdraft gasification evaluation including reactor temperature distribution, gas composition, cold-gas efficiency and packed-bed mechanics (paper IV) and a numerical model including the overall system efficiency for residue-to-electric power based in a small-scale gasifier system (paper V).The single-pellet studies revealed that pyrolysis in reducing atmosphere is to prefer compared to flaming pyrolysis in oxidizing environment with regards to the char quality. The studies also showed favourable thermochemical and mechanical behaviour for smaller size pellets (Ø6- Ø8mm) compared to larger size ones (Ø12 mm). Therefore, a downdraft gasifier of closed constricted type was designed for real gasification tests of the residue pellets of sizes Ø6- Ø8mm. These tests showed that all the studied pellet sorts could be used in one and the same gasifier, resulting in different reactor temperature distributions and gas compositions with lower heating values in the range of 4.1-5.4 MJ/m3n dry gas. The reactor bed dynamics showed to be dependent both on the fuel reactivity and the size, with less pressure drop for larger size pellets with lower reactivity. The pelletizing process itself revealed that the selected residues all needed higher moisture content and smaller particle size than recommended for wood for successful pelletizing. The relative electric energy consumption was lower when producing larger size pellets Ø8 mm than smaller ones (Ø6 mm) of same material. For untreated wet empty-fruit bunch (EFB) a stand-alone power plant with integrated EFB pre-treatment and gasification could generate 380 kWh of net electricity per ton of EFB at a “well-to-wheel” efficiency of 15%.
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| 9. |
- Erlich, Catharina, et al.
(författare)
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Downdraft gasification of pellets made of wood, palm-oil residues respective bagasse: Experimental study
- 2011
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Ingår i: Applied Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118. ; 88:3, s. 899-908
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The downdraft gasification technology has an increased interest among researchers worldwide due to the possibility to produce mechanical and electrical power from biomass in small-scale to an affordable price. The research is generally focused on improvement of the performance and optimizing of a certain gasifier, on testing different fuels, on increasing the user-friendliness of the gasifier and on finding other uses for the product gas than in an IC-engine, for example liquid fuel production.The main objective with the gasification tests presented here is to further contribute in the field by studying the impact of the char bed properties such as char bed porosity and pressure drop on the gasification performance as well as the impact of fuel particle size and composition on the gasification process in one and the same gasifier. In addition, there is very little gasification data available in literature of “before disregarded” fuels such as sugar cane bagasse from sugar/alcohol production and empty fruit bunch (EFB) from the palm-oil production. By pelletizing these residues, it is possible to introduce them into downdraft gasification technology which has been done in this study.The results show that one and the same reactor can be used for a variety of fuels in pellet form, but at varying air–fuel ratios, temperature levels, gas compositions and lower heating values. Gasification of wood pellets results in a richer producer gas while EFB pellets give a poorer one with higher contents of non-combustible compounds. In this gasification study, there is almost linear relation between the air–fuel ratio and the cold-gas efficiency for the studied fuels: Higher air–fuel ratios result in better efficiency. The pressure drop in the char bed is higher for more reactive fuels, which in turn is caused by low porosity char beds.
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| 10. |
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