Energy and exergy analysis of syngas production from different biomasses through air-steam gasification
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
S. Rupesh, C. Muraleedharan, P. Arun
Energy and exergy analysis of syngas production from different biomasses through air-steam gasification
© Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
Abstract Gasification is a thermo-chemical reaction which converts biomass into fuel gases in a reactor. The efficiency of conversion depends on the effective working of the gasifier. The first step in the conversion process is the selection of a suitable feedstock capable of generating more gaseous fuels. This paper analyses the performance of different biomasses during gasification through energy and exergy analysis. A quasi-equilibrium model is developed to simulate and compare the feasibility of different biomass materials as gasifier feedstock. Parametric studies are conducted to analyze the effect of temperature, steam to biomass ratio and equivalence ratio on energy and exergy efficiencies. Of the biomasses considered, sawdust has the highest energy and exergy efficiencies and lowest irreversibility. At a gasification temperature of 1000 K, the steam to biomass ratio of unity and the equivalence ratio of 0.25, the energy efficiency, exergy efficiency and irreversibility of sawdust are 35.62%, 36.98% and 10.62 MJ/kg, respectively. It is also inferred that the biomass with lower ash content and higher carbon content contributes to maximum energy and exergy efficiencies. Keywords gasification, modeling, energy, exergy, syngas
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Introduction
Biomass is the largest renewable energy source that contributes to 15% of the world’s primary energy consumption [1]. Apart from its low energy density compared to conventional fuels, its renewability, ample availability and carbon neutrality make it a potential replacement option for fossil fuels. However, direct use of Received February 7, 2016; accepted May 12, 2016
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S. Rupesh ( ), C. Muraleedharan, P. Arun Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Calicut 673601, India E-mail: [email protected]
biomass is not economical. Therefore, suitable energy efficient conversion techniques are required to enhance its quality. Biochemical and thermo-chemical conversion routes are the widely used methods to extract energy from biomass. Combustion, pyrolysis and gasification are the major thermo-chemical methods suitable for cellulosic materials like biomass [2]. Direct combustion is the conventional method, even though it is the least efficient one and is characterized by large CO2 emission [3]. Of the three methods, gasification is the most effective conversion one because of its higher conversion rate in comparison with combustion and pyrolysis [4]. Biomass gasification is a complicated process influenced by several parameters like the type of the reactor, the reactor temperature and pressure, the type of gasifying agent, the biomass composition and moisture content, etc. [5]. So a thorough knowledge of the effect of these parameters on gasification process is essential for the successful design of a gasification system. This c
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