A Simulation Study of Downdraft Gasification of Oil-Palm Fronds using ASPEN PLUS

Atnaw, Samson Mekbib; Sulaiman, Shaharin Anwar; Yusup, Suzana

doi:10.3923/jas.2011.1913.1920

Cited by 48 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Previous studies on the downdraft gasification of OPF showed that it has a high potential as a feedstock for thermal gasification, with an output comparable to that of sugarcane and woody biomass materials. In a previous study, the authors presented the results of an experimental study on the influence of the reactor temperature, moisture content, and equivalence ratio on producer gas composition, temperature distribution along the gasifier bed, tar generation, higher heating value (HHV), and overall gasification efficiency (Atnaw et al 2011;Sulaiman et al 2012;Atnaw et al 2013a). The results from the experimental study on the downdraft gasification of OPF was found to be comparable in terms of output with that of woody materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Modeling and Parametric Study for Maximizing Heating Value of Gasification Syngas

et al. 2017

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There are a number of experimental and theoretical studies on the energy conversion of oil palm derivative biomass. Moreover, the potential of this abundant biomass residue for renewable energy in major producing countries in Southeast Asia has been well documented. In this study, the results of an equilibrium model of downdraft gasification of oil palm fronds (OPF), developed using the Aspen Plus chemical process simulator software, and its validation are presented. In addition, an optimization of the major output parameter of importance (i.e., the higher heating value of syngas) with respect to the main operating parameters (i.e., temperature, equivalence ratio (ER), and moisture content) was performed. The response surface method (RSM) was used to determine the mathematical relationship between the response of interest, which was the heating value of syngas, and the operating conditions. This method was used to further determine the conditions that would lead to optimum higher heating values of syngas. Optimum values identified by RSM were: oxidation zone temperature of 1000 °C, moisture content in the range of 4%, and an equivalence ratio of 0.35. These optimum operating conditions and the corresponding higher heating value of syngas were found to correspond with the experimental results.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Modeling and Parametric Study for Maximizing Heating Value of Gasification Syngas

et al. 2017

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“…The combustion and reduction zones of gasification were modelled using Gibbs reactor model, assuming equilibrium reaction. Calculation of the heat and mass balances of a solid process required a physical properties model suitable for solid components [36]. Detailed elaboration of the models used in the present work can be found in the references [36,43].…”

Section: Prediction Of Syngas Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in some parts of the world, biomass firing and gasification have recently gained interests in the field of research and real applications in various scales [21][22][23][24]. Only a relatively small number of research projects have been initiated on biomass combustions in this country [25][26][27][28][29], while only several more focused on OPF [5,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. Literature review revealed that OPF may be one of the least studied parts of an oil palm tree, while other researches focused on mostly the derivative wastes of oil palm fruit such as empty fruit bunches, palm kernel shell, palm mesocarp fiber and palm oil mill effluent [38][39][40][41][42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility study of gasification of oil palm fronds

Sulaiman¹,

Balamohan²,

Moni³

et al. 2015

J. Mech. Eng. Sci.

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Considering the large and consistent supply, oil palm fronds could be a promising source of biomass energy through gasification. There is very scarce information on the characteristics of oil palm fronds, which is vital in deciding if such biomass is technically suitable for gasification. In the present work, the feasibility of oil palm fronds for biomass gasification is studied. The study is conducted experimentally via standard tests to determine their thermochemical characteristics. Ultimate analysis is conducted to determine the contents of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulphide in oil palm fronds. Proximate analysis is performed to identify the burning characteristics of the biomass. The energy content in the fronds is determined by using a bomb calorie meter and is around 18 MJ/kg. The ignitability of the fronds is also studied experimentally to assess the ease to start-up combustion of the fronds. The characteristics of the flame of the resulting syngas from gasification of oil palm fronds are qualitatively studied. Simulated syngas composition study reveals potentials of 22% CO, 1.3% H2, 18.5% CO2 and traces of CH4. The study is extended to computer simulation to predict composition of the syngas. It is found from this work that oil palm fronds are feasible for gasification and has a good potential as a renewable energy source.

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“…The RYIELD reactor block was used for the pyrolysis/devolatilization part of the modelling. "RYIELD" converts the feed material into its constituting elements, including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur and ash, by specifying the yield distribution according to the green waste ultimate analysis [24]. A separate column model was used to separate the condensate materials and solids in order to perform the volatile reactions.…”

Section: Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pyrolysis of Municipal Green Waste: A Modelling, Simulation and Experimental Analysis

2015

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Abstract:Pyrolysis is the thermo-chemical conversion of carbonaceous feedstock in the absence of oxygen to produce bio-fuel (bio-oil, bio-char and syn-gas). Bio-fuel production from municipal green waste (MGW) through the pyrolysis process has attracted considerable attention recently in the renewable energy sector because it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to energy security. This study analyses properties of MGW feedstock available in Rockhampton city of Central Queensland, Australia, and presents an experimental investigation of producing bio-fuel from that MGW through the pyrolysis process using a short sealed rotary furnace. It was found from the experiment that about 19.97% bio-oil, 40.83% bio-char and 29.77% syn-gas can be produced from the MGW. Then, a four-stage steady state simulation model is developed for pyrolysis process performance simulation using Aspen Plus software. In the first stage, the moisture content of the MGW feed is reduced. In the second stage, the MGW is decomposed according to its elemental constituents. In the third stage, condensate material is separated and, finally, the pyrolysis reactions are modelled using the Gibbs free energy minimisation approach. The MGW's ultimate and proximate analysis data were used in the Aspen Plus simulation as input parameters. The model is validated with experimentally measured data. A good OPEN ACCESSEnergies 2015, 8 7523 agreement between simulation and experimental results was found. More specifically, the variation of modelling and experimental elemental compositions of the MGW was found to be 7.3% for carbon, 15.82% for hydrogen, 7.04% for nitrogen and 5.56% for sulphur. The validated model is used to optimise the biofuel production from the MGW as a function of operating variables such as temperature, moisture content, particle size and process heat air-fuel ratio. The modelling and optimisation results are presented, analysed and discussed.

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A Simulation Study of Downdraft Gasification of Oil-Palm Fronds using ASPEN PLUS

Cited by 48 publications

References 23 publications

Modeling and Parametric Study for Maximizing Heating Value of Gasification Syngas

Modeling and Parametric Study for Maximizing Heating Value of Gasification Syngas

Feasibility study of gasification of oil palm fronds

Pyrolysis of Municipal Green Waste: A Modelling, Simulation and Experimental Analysis

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