Synthesis gas from biomass: operating data on a 1-ton/day oxygen gasifier

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5355002

Reed, T B; Graboski, M; Markson, M

A 1 ton/day (900 kg/day), downdraft, oxygen biomass gasifier has been built and operated on wood chips and densified biomass for one year. The gasifier, which is a modification of the small gasifiers widely used in the past, has an extended char bed and staged oxygen injection designed to crack all the pyrolysis tars to eliminate downstream gas cleanup requirements. The gasifier is fed continuously, which allows high temperature combustion of the tars above the pyrolysis section. This in turn provides heat for the pyrolysis reaction. Actual feed rates varied up to 62 lb/h (28 kg/h), or 314 lb/ft/sup 2/ h (1533 kg/m/sup 2/ h) with measured oxygen/fuel ratios varying between 0.42 and 0.44. A typical gas has a composition of 48% CO, 15% CO/sub 2/, 32% H/sub 2/, 3% N/sub 2/, and 2% CH/sub 4/. Organic content in the gas quench water is typically 0.02% to 0.1% of the feed. Heat losses through the insulation and grate are typically 6% to 8% of the throughput energy in the 6-in. (150-mm)-diameter bed. The downdraft gasifier produces a gas close to that predicted by the equilibrium between C, H/sub 2/, CO, CO/sub 2/, and H/sub 2/O at temperatures between 700/sup 0/ and 900/sup 0/C and is therefore particularly suited to producing synthesis gas for synthetic fuels. Two liters of methanol were synthesized from the gas using the liquid-phase process. The gas was found to be similar to synthesis gas from coal and presented no difficulty in synthesis.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA); Colorado School of Mines, Golden (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-77CH00178
• OSTI ID: 5355002
• Report Number(s): SERI/TP-234-1455; CONF-820324-1; ON: DE82008185
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ALCOHOLS
ALKANES
BIOMASS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DECOMPOSITION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FUELS
GASES
GASIFICATION
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
METHANE
METHANOL
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PYROLYSIS
PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS GAS
SYNTHETIC FUELS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WOOD