Reasearch on the main factors for changes in pressure based on turbulent circulating fluidized bed coal gasification technology

High temperature preheated air and steam as gasifying agent and coal gasification was performed in a pressurized turbulent circulating fluidized bed (CFB) gasification pilot plant to investigate the pressurized gasification process and estimate its potential. Within the scope of this paper this test facility as well as its operation behavior was described. Furthermore, the parameter pressure has been investigated regarding its influence on the syngas composition and was presented and discussed in the following. The results show that the gasification quality is improved at higher pressure because of the better fluidization in the reactor. Coal gasification at a higher pressure shows advantages in lower heat value and carbon conversion. With the gasifier pressure increased from 0.1MPa to 0.3MPa, the gas heating value is increased by 15%. Increasing the gasifier pressure would increase the carbon conversion from 57.52% to 76.76%. Also, the dry gas yield and efficiency of cold gas increase little with the increase of the gasifier pressure. The operating parameter of pressure exists at optimum operating range for this specific CFB coal gasification process.     

高效能两段组合式煤气化过程热态试验

针对现有气流床气化技术在显热回收方面的不足,华东理工大学洁净煤技术研究所创新性开发煤基两段组合式气化工艺。在所建立的两段组合式煤气化炉热态试验装置上,考察了二段处理煤量和一段出口煤气组成对出口煤气热值、有效气浓度、二段碳转化率、水蒸气和二氧化碳转化率的影响。试验结果表明此气化工艺能有效利用一段炉煤气中的显热,提高气化炉出口煤气热值;二段适宜加入褐煤量为1400g,是一段处理量的10%;二段加煤量过多会降低二段煤层反应温度和促使焦油的生成;随着一段气化炉出口煤气所含水蒸气、CO2等气化剂浓度的增加,其对显热回收的作用就更明显;该工艺能减少CO2排放,具有良好的环境效益。     

Performance of an entrained-flow gasification technology of pulverized coal in pilot-scale plant

Performance of an entrained-flow gasification technology of pulverized coal in pilot-scale plant is introduced. The gasifier was operated for a throughput of 30–45 t coal per day at pressures of 1–3 MPa. Dense-phase pneumatic conveying was employed for coal's feeding to the gasifier using nitrogen and carbon dioxide as carrier gas, respectively. Effects of the operating conditions including oxygen/carbon ratio and steam/carbon ratio on gasification results were investigated, and the concentration of (CO + H₂) in gaseous products reached up to about 97% (vol., dry basis) when CO₂ was employed as carrier gas. Moreover, performances of some important instruments in the conveying system of pulverized coal, such as the level indicator and the solid mass flow meter, were also investigated. The typical operating results in this plant such as (CO + H₂) concentration, oxygen consumption, coal consumption, carbon conversion and cold gas efficiency were almost as good as those of some well-known dry-fed entrained-flow coal gasification plants.     

串行流化床煤气化试验

针对串行流化床煤气化技术特点,以水蒸气为气化剂,在串行流化床试验装置上进行煤气化特性的试验研究,考察了气化反应器温度、蒸汽煤比对煤气组成、热值、冷煤气效率和碳转化率的影响。结果表明,燃烧反应器内燃烧烟气不会串混至气化反应器,该煤气化技术能够稳定连续地从气化反应器获得不含N₂的高品质合成气。随着气化反应器温度的升高、蒸汽煤比的增加,煤气热值和冷煤气效率均会提高,但对碳转化率影响有所不同。在试验阶段获得的最高煤气热值为6.9 MJ•m^-3,冷煤气效率为68％,碳转化率为92％。     

Effect of process parameters on circulating fluidized bed coal gasification using 3D full-loop CFD simulation

This article presents a 3D full-loop computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of a circulating fluidized bed gasifier (CFBG). The simulation results are validated against the experimental data and found to be in good agreement. Thereupon, the effect of the process parameters, ie, temperature, pressure, air/coal (A/C) ratio, and steam/coal (S/C) ratio, on the performance of the gasifier is analyzed. The effect of temperature on the hydrodynamics was found to be small. The CO and H₂ increase, whereas the CO₂ and H₂O decrease with an increase in temperature. While the effect of pressure on the outlet species mole fraction is negligible, the gas and solid axial velocity decrease with an increase in pressure. With an increasing A/C ratio or decreasing S/C ratio, the combustion products (CO₂ and H₂O) increase, whereas the gasification products (CO and H₂) decrease due to the increase in the O₂ concentration. In addition, temperature increases with an increase in the A/C ratio or a decrease in the S/C ratio. The feed velocity increases with an increasing A/C or S/C ratio, and, accordingly, the pressure increases and bed height decreases. The CH₄ decreases in all of the cases as it is being consumed in gasification as well as combustion reactions.     

气化剂预热温度对加压湍动循环流化床煤气化的影响

在实验室规模加压湍动循环流化床气化炉上,研究了气化剂预热温度对煤气化特性的影响。结果表明：气化介质温度从400℃提高到700℃后,煤气热值增加21%;煤气中可燃组分H₂和CO浓度分别从10.55%和9.57%提高到13.62%和13.12%;不可燃组分N₂和CO₂浓度分别从61.03%和16.14%降低到57.03% 和13.7%;甲烷含量变化较小;冷煤气效率由49.3%增加到56%。碳转化率和干煤气产率随气化剂预热温度的不同变化较小。实现了循环流化床提升段下部湍动流化、上部环核流动的特殊流场结构,与已有研究结果相比,煤气热值、煤气产率、冷煤气效率都略有提高,更加适合煤气化。     

Pilot-trial and modeling of a new type of pressurized entrained-flow pulverized coal gasification technology

A new type of pressurized entrained-flow pulverized coal gasification technology has been developed by ECUST. It is characterized with four nozzles symmetrically disposed on the upper part of a gasifier. The effects of operation conditions on gasification, N₂ as carrier gas with middle pressure superheated (MP SH) steam, CO₂ as carrier gas with MP SH steam and CO₂ as carrier gas without MP SH steam, respectively, have been tested in the pilot plant. The carbon conversion of all gasification schemes is larger than 99%. For N₂ as carrier gas, the volume fraction (Dry) of CO + H₂ is larger than 90% (v). For CO₂ as carrier gas, the volume fraction (Dry) of CO + H₂ is larger than 92% (v) with MP SH steam and larger than 95% (v) without MP SH steam.At the same time, based on Gibbs energy minimization principle, the pulverized coal gasification system model was built. The simulation results well matched the pilot-trial data under different operation conditions. The model can be used for the design, assessment, and improvement of the entrained-flow coal gasification system.     

Gasification and co-gasification of biomass wastes: Effect of the biomass origin and the gasifier operating conditions

Air gasification of different biomass fuels, including forestry (pinus pinaster pruning) and agricultural (grapevine and olive tree pruning) wastes as well as industry wastes (sawdust and marc of grape), has been carried out in a circulating flow gasifier in order to evaluate the potential of using these types of biomass in the same equipment, thus providing higher operation flexibility and minimizing the effect of seasonal fuel supply variations. The potential of using biomass as an additional supporting fuel in coal fuelled power plants has also been evaluated through tests involving mixtures of biomass and coal–coke, the coke being a typical waste of oil companies. The effect of the main gasifier operating conditions, such as the relative biomass/air ratio and the reaction temperature, has been analysed to establish the conditions allowing higher gasification efficiency, carbon conversion and/or fuel constituents (CO, H₂ and CH₄) concentration and production. Results of the work encourage the combined use of the different biomass fuels without significant modifications in the installation, although agricultural wastes (grapevine and olive pruning) could to lead to more efficient gasification processes. These latter wastes appear as interesting fuels to generate a producer gas to be used in internal combustion engines or gas turbines (high gasification efficiency and gas yield), while sawdust could be a very adequate fuel to produce a H₂-rich gas (with interest for fuel cells) due to its highest reactivity. The influence of the reaction temperature on the gasification characteristics was not as significant as that of the biomass/air ratio, although the H₂ concentration increased with increasing temperature.     

Catalysis of gasification of coal-derived cokes and chars

Calcium is the most important in-situ catalyst for gasification of US coal chars in O₂, CO₂ and H₂O. It is a poor catalyst for gasification of chars by H₂. Potassium and sodium added to low-rank coals by ion exchange and high-rank coals by impregnation are excellent catalysts for char gasification in O₂, CO₂ and H₂O. Carbon monoxide inhibits catalysis of the CH₂O reaction by calcium, potassium and sodium; H₂ inhibits catalysis by calcium. Thus injection of synthesis gas into the gasifier will inhibit the CH₂O reaction. Iron is not an important catalyst for the gasification of chars in O₂, CO₂ and H₂O, because it is invariably in the oxidized state. Carbon monoxide disproportionates to deposit carbon from a dry synthesis gas mixture (3 vol H₂ + 1 vol CO) over potassium-, sodium- and iron-loaded lignite char and a raw bituminous coal char, high in pyrite, at 1123 K and 0.1 MPa pressure. The carbon is highly reactive, with the injection of 2.7 kPa H₂O to the synthesis gas resulting in net carbon gasification. The effect of traces of sulphur in the gas stream on catalysis of gasification or carbon-forming reactions by calcium, potassium, or sodium is not well understood at present. Traces of sulphur do, however, inhibit catalysis by iron.     

Deactivation of a Ni-Based Reforming Catalyst During the Upgrading of the Producer Gas, from Simulated to Real Conditions

The deactivation of a nickel reforming catalyst during the upgrading of the producer gas obtained by gasification of lignocellulosic biomass was studied. The research involved several steps: the selective deactivation of the catalyst in a laboratory scale; the streaming of the catalyst with the producer gas of a downdraft and an oxygen/steam circulating fluidized bed (CFB) gasifier; and tests in a reformer placed in a slipstream of the CFB gasifier. The information obtained allowed to elucidate the catalyst deactivation mechanisms taking place during the reforming of the producer gas: physical deactivation by deposition of fine ashes, aerosol particulate or carbon; poisoning by H₂S and HCl present in the gas phase and thermal sintering because of the high operation temperatures required to avoid the chemical deactivation. These physical and chemical effects depended on the composition of the biomass fuel.     

Effect of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> addition on lignite gasification in a CFB reactor: A pilot-scale study

The addition of carbon dioxide to the gasification media during lignite gasification is introduced. The paper presents thermodynamic grounds of CO₂ enhanced gasification using a simplified equilibrium model. Experimental tests conducted using a pilot-scale circulating fluidized bed gasifier are discussed. Detailed analysis of the CO₂/C ratio on process conditions, namely on the process gas composition, lower heating value and H₂/CO ratio, is provided. Process gas composition implies that the gas is suitable for heat and power generation. Alternatively, CO₂ enhanced gasification could be considered as a carbon capture and utilization technology when external, renewable heat supply to the process is used. The results thus obtained are the initial step toward development of the CO₂ enhanced gasification process.     

The comparison study on the operating condition of gasification power plant with various feedstocks

Gasification technology, which converts fossil fuels into either combustible gas or synthesis gas (syngas) for subsequent utilization, offers the potential of both clean power and chemicals. Especially, IGCC is recognized as next power generation technology which can replace conventional coal power plants in the near future. It produces not only power but also chemical energy sources such as H₂, DME and other chemicals with simultaneous reduction of CO₂. This study is focused on the determination of operating conditions for a 300 MW scale IGCC plant with various feedstocks through ASPEN plus simulator. The input materials of gasification are chosen as 4 representative cases of pulverized dry coal (Illinois#6), coal water slurry, bunker-C and naphtha. The gasifier model reflects on the reactivity among the components of syngas in the gasification process through the comparison of syngas composition from a real gasifier. For evaluating the performance of a gasification plant from developed models, simulation results were compared with a real commercial plant through approximation of relative error between real operating data and simulation results. The results were then checked for operating characteristics of each unit process such as gasification, ash removal, acid gas (CO₂, H₂S) removal and power islands. To evaluate the performance of the developed model, evaluated parameters are chosen as cold gas efficiency and carbon conversion for the gasifier, power output and efficiency of combined cycle. According to simulation results, pulverized dry coal which has 40.93% of plant net efficiency has relatively superiority over the other cases such as 33.45% of coal water slurry, 35.43% of bunker-C and 30.81% of naphtha for generating power in the range of equivalent 300 MW.     

基于赤铁矿载氧体的煤化学链燃烧试验

化学链燃烧是一种具有CO₂内分离特性的燃烧方式。以赤铁矿为载氧体,在1 kW_th级串行流化床上进行了煤化学链燃烧试验。讨论了燃料反应器温度对气体产物组分的影响;比较了各反应参数对煤气化效率、煤气化产物的转化效率及碳捕集效率的影响情况,分析了煤中硫的排放问题。试验结果表明：温度由900℃升高到985℃,燃料反应器中CO体积份额逐渐增加,CO₂体积份额逐渐减小,空气反应器中CO₂浓度呈线性下降。燃料反应器温度的升高促进煤气化效率及碳捕集效率大大提高。载氧体量和系统负荷是煤气化产物转化效率的主要影响因素,载氧体量的增加和负荷的增加分别会使煤气化产物转化效率提高和下降。燃料反应器中的硫主要以SO₂形式存在于燃料反应器,随温度的升高,SO₂浓度由515×10^-6逐渐增加到562×10^-6相似文献   

Entrained flow gasification of coal: 1. Evaluation of mixing and reaction processes from local measurements

Local mixing and reaction processes were studied within a laboratory-scale, entrained coal gasifier at atmospheric pressure, using a Utah high-volatile, low-sulphur bituminous coal at a design flow rate of 24.5 kg h⁻¹. The coal-oxygen-steam feed mass ratio was 1.00:0.91:0.27. A water-quenched sample probe was used to collect radial gas and char samples at seven different axial positions in the 124 cm long reactor for the measurement of gasification products and residual char composition. The observed carbon conversion was 79 ± 3%. Coal hydrogen and oxygen were converted more rapidly and more completely than carbon. Devolatilization, which occurred very rapidly near the inlet, led to most of this carbon conversion; heterogeneous char reactions with CO₂ and steam apparently accounted for the balance. Oxygen was consumed through reaction with volatiles very quickly in the upper gasifier region. These data were used to evaluate mixing and reaction characteristics within the reactor. Agreement of measurements with predictions from a generalized two-dimensional entrained coal gasification model was good.     

Gasification characteristics of combustible wastes in a 5 ton/day fixed bed gasifier

The gasification characteristics of combustible wastes were determined in a 5 ton/day fixed bed gasifier (1.2 m I.D. and 2.8m high). The fixed bed gasifier consisted of air compressor, oxygen tank, MFC, fixed bed gasifier, cyclone, heat exchanger, solid/gas separator, water fluidized bed reactor and blower. To capture soot or unburned carbon from the gasification reaction, solid/gas separator and water fluidized bed were used. The experiments with 10–50 hours of operation were carried out to determine the effects of bed temperature, solid/oxygen ratio and oxidant on the gas composition, calorific value and carbon conversion. The calorific values of the produced gas decreased with an increase of bed temperature because combustion reaction happened more actively. The gas composition of partial oxidation of woodchip is CO: 34.4%, H₂: 10.7%, CH₄: 6.0%, CO₂: 48.9% and that of RPF is CO: 33.9%, H₂: 26.1%, CH₄: 10.7%, CO₂: 29.2%. The average calorific values of produced gas were about 1,933 kcal/Nm³, 2,863 kcal/Nm³, respectively. The maximum calorific values were 3,100 kcal/Nm³ at RPF/oxygen ratio: 7     

Two dimensional numerical computation of a circulating fluidized bed biomass gasifier

A two dimensional model for an atmospheric CFB biomass gasifier has been developed which uses the particle based approach and integrates and simultaneously predicts the hydrodynamic and gasification aspects. Tar conversion is taken into account in the model. The model calculates the axial and radial distribution of syngas mole fraction and temperature both for bottom and upper zones. The proposed model addresses both hydrodynamic parameters and reaction kinetic modeling. Results are compared with and validated against experimental data from a pilot scale air blown CFB gasifier which uses different types of biomass fuels given in the literature. Developed model efficiently simulates the radial and axial profiles of the bed temperature and H₂, CO, CO₂ and CH₄ volumetric fractions and tar concentration versus gasifier temperature. The minimum error of comparisons is about 1% and the maximum error is less than 25%.     

Gasification of coal and PET in fluidized bed reactor

Blended fuel comprising 23 wt.% polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and 77 wt.% brown coal was gasified in an atmospheric fluidized bed gasifier of laboratory-scale. The gasification agent was composed of 10 vol.% O₂ in bulk of nitrogen. Thermal and texture analyses were carried out to determine the basic properties of the fuel components. The influence of experimental conditions, such as the fluidized bed and freeboard temperatures on major and minor gas components and tar content, as well as features of the blended fuel gasification in comparison with the single coal gasification, were studied. In the case of coal with PET gasification, only the fluidized bed temperature showed significant influence on CO, CO₂, CH₄ and H₂ content in the producer gas, whereas the effect of the freeboard temperature was insignificant. In single coal gasification both temperatures had considerable and almost the same influence. The content of minor components, such as ethane, ethylene, acetylene and benzene, was found to be more dependent on the freeboard temperature than on the fluidized bed temperature. It was observed that the higher the freeboard temperatures get, the lower is the concentration of the minor components, with the exception of acetylene. The absolute contents of almost all minor and tar components were approximately three times higher in blended fuel gasification than that in single coal gasification. Finally, partition of carbon (char) and selected metals into bottom and cyclone ash in gasification of both fuels is discussed.     

Steam gasification of coal with salt mixture of potassium and nickel in a fluidized bed reactor

Australian coal loaded with a mixed catalyst of K₂SO₄+Ni(NO₃)₂ has been gasified with steam in a fluidized bed reactor of 0.1 m inside diameter at atmospheric pressure. The effects of gas velocity (2-5 U_g/U_mf), reaction temperature (750-900 °C), air/coal ratio (1.6-3.2), and steam/coal ratio (0.63-1.26) on gas compositions, gas yield and gas calorific value of the product gas and carbon conversion have been determined. The product gas quality and carbon conversion can be greatly improved by applying the catalyst; they can also be enhanced by increasing gas velocity and temperature. Up to 31% of the catalytic increment in gas calorific value could be obtained at higher temperatures. In the experimental runs with variation of steam/coal ratio, the catalytic increments were 16-38% in gas calorific value, 14-57% in carbon conversion, 5-46% in gas yield, and 7-44% in cold gas efficiency. With increasing fluidization gas velocity and reaction temperature, the unburned carbon fraction of cyclone fine for catalytic gasification decreased 4-18% and 13-16%, respectively, compared to that for non-catalytic gasification. Presented at the Int’l Symp. on Chem. Eng. (Cheju, Feb. 8–10, 2001), dedicated to Prof. H. S. Chun on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

Experimental research on air staged cyclone gasification of rice husk

A novel air cyclone gasifier of rice husk has been used to obtain experimental data for air staged gasification. Three positions and five ratios of secondary air were selected to study effect of the secondary air on the temperature profile in the gasifier and quality of syngas. Temperature profile and the syngas component are found to be strongly influenced by the injection position and ratio of the secondary air. Generally, gas temperature in all conditions increased at the early stage of reaction, and then decreased in the reduction zone where reactions were endothermic. The peak temperature in the gasifier changed with the injection positions and ratios of the secondary air, which could be as high as 1056 °C. The concentration of CO₂, CO, H₂ and CH₄ increased with the secondary air while the O₂ concentration remained constant. The syngas component exhibited different laws when the secondary air ratio was changed. It was also shown that the optimum condition was that the secondary air was injected in the oxidization zone at a secondary air ratio of about 31%. Under that condition, the fuel gas production was 1.30 Nm³/kg, the low heating value of the syngas was 6.7 MJ/Nm³, the carbon conversion rate was 92.2% and the cold gas efficiency of the gasifier was 63.2%. The tar content of the syngas was also studied in this paper. It decreased from 4.4 g/m³ for gasification without the secondary air to 1.6 g/m³ for gasification with the secondary air injected in the oxidization zone.     

Modeling and simulation of co-gasification of coal and petcoke in a bubbling fluidized bed coal gasifier

In this work we discuss the modeling and simulation of a fluidized bed coal gasifier which uses a mixture of coal and petcoke as its feed. A two phase model consisting of the bubble phase and the emulsion phase is used to describe the coal gasification process. We consider a non-isothermal model taking into account the effect of four heterogeneous reactions and four homogeneous reactions. We analyse the effect of various operating parameters such as composition of feed, location of feed point and ash content on the performance of the gasifier. The results of predictions of the simulations have been found to be in good agreement with the experimental results in the literature. It has been found that increase in petcoke content in the feed mixture tends to lower the efficiency and carbon conversion but increases the amount of syngas produced. Also, from the simulations, it has been found that increase in ash content of coal decreases the carbon conversion. We have concluded that the feed point of the solids should be above the point where O₂ that is present in the bed gets exhausted, in order to obtain the maximum carbon conversion and efficiency.