Simulation of process parameters and bed-hydrodynamic studies for fluidized bed biomass gasification using aspen plus

Abstract

Fluidized bed gasification is one of the potential sources for production of clean and eco-friendly fuel. With the gradual depletion of coal and petroleum resources biomass is being perceived as a self-sustainable source of energy production. It is cheap and readily available as well. ASPEN PLUS simulator is a strong tool for investigating the behavior of a process and it can be readily used to access various aspects like feasibility of an operation, effect of operating parameters on the performance of a gasifier. In this project work the effects of temperature, steam to biomass ratio, pressure, and equivalence ratio have been studied on the product gas composition and carbon conversion efficiency of a fluidized bed biomass gasifier. The hydrodynamics of bed materials has been analyzed considering dolomite as a testing sample with different particle diameter. Temperature was observed to be the most sensitive aspect of gasification as it is operated under atmospheric pressure. The requirement of a particular product justifies the use of steam as a gasifying agent.