MP-PIC Simulation of Biomass Steam Gasification Using Ilmenite as an Oxygen Carrier

Abstract

Biomass chemical looping gasification (BCLG) is a complex process for the conversion of biomass using an oxygen carrier, which is influenced by various operating parameters. For a better understanding of this process, biomass steam gasification using ilmenite as an oxygen carrier is numerically investigated in this work using the multiphase particle-in-cell (MP-PIC) method, which is a modified Euler–Lagrange approach. As a first step, a reduced reaction network for biomass gasification is investigated in a spouted bed. As a second step, the reaction network is coupled with oxygen carrier kinetics of ilmenite for the simulation of BCLG in a lab-scale fluidized bed. For both steps, the influence of the main operating parameters, such as reactor temperature, steam-to-biomass ratio, and oxidation degree of the oxygen carrier, are investigated and compared with experimental data from the literature. In general, the simulations show satisfying results and the predicted syngas compositions with varied operating parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. Furthermore, the main trends for the syngas composition are predicted correctly and the oxidation degree of the oxygen carrier has a significant influence on the resulting syngas composition confirming the experimental results.

Keywords

• 3D-CFD simulation
• multiphase particle-in-cell method (MP-PIC)
• chemical looping gasification (CLG)
• biomass gasification
• syngas
• fluidized bed reactor