CFD-DEM Modeling of Autothermal Pyrolysis of Corn Stover with a Coupled Particle- and Reactor-Scale Framework

Oyedeji, Oluwafemi A.; Pecha, M. Brennan; Finney, Charles E. A.; Peterson, Chad A.; Smith, Ryan G.; Mills, Zachary G.; Gao, Xi; Shahnam, Mehrdad; Rogers, William A.; Ciesielski, Peter N.; Brown, Robert C.; Parks II, James E.

doi:10.1016/j.cej.2022.136920

Title: CFD-DEM Modeling of Autothermal Pyrolysis of Corn Stover with a Coupled Particle- and Reactor-Scale Framework

Journal Article · 18 May 2022 · Chemical Engineering Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.136920· OSTI ID:1872405

Oyedeji, Oluwafemi A.;

; Finney, Charles E. A.; Peterson, Chad A.; Smith, Ryan G.; Mills, Zachary G.; Gao, Xi; Shahnam, Mehrdad; Rogers, William A.;

; Brown, Robert C.; Parks II, James E.

Autothermal operation of fast pyrolysis is an efficient process-intensification technique wherein exothermic oxidation reactions are used to overcome the heat-transfer bottleneck of conventional pyrolysis. The development of accurate, reliable modeling toolsets is imperative to generating a deeper understanding of biomass autothermal pyrolysis systems to support scale-up and industrial deployment. This modeling effort describes the development of single-particle and reactor models which incorporate detailed reaction schemes and simultaneous exothermic oxidation reactions. The particle-scale model was parameterized for corn stover feedstock with particle morphology, density, ash content, and biopolymer composition, all of which impact the emergent conversion characteristics during pyrolysis. Results were then used to parameterize a reactor-scale autothermal pyrolysis model, which was developed using a coarse-grained computational fluid dynamic-discrete element method. The simulation results compared well with experimental results, with the predicted bio-oil, light gas, and biochar yield within 3.0 wt% of the experimental yields. Further analyses were performed to test the influence of equivalence ratio, biomass injection position, and particle size distribution on autothermal pyrolysis. The analysis of the physio-chemical properties of the fluid and solid phase inside the reactor and at the reactor outlet help reveal important process interactions of autothermal pyrolysis.

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Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)

DOE Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1872405

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-2800-81855; MainId:82628; UUID:0fafcaa2-c04c-44ca-9042-aa2f326f3368; MainAdminID:64668

Journal Information:: Chemical Engineering Journal, Vol. 446, Issue Part 2

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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