The Effect of Coal Particle Size on Char-CO₂Gasification Reactivity by Gas Analysis

Abstract

− Char gasification is affected by operating conditions such as reaction temperature, reactants gas partial pressure, total system pressure and particle size in addition to chemical composition and physical structure of char. The aim of the present work was to characterize the effect of coal particle size on CO 2 gasification of chars prepared from two different types of bituminous coals at different reaction temperatures(1,000~1,400 o C). Lab scale experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure in a fixed reactor where heat was supplied into a sample of char particles. When a flow of CO 2 (40 vol%) was delivered into the reactor, the char reacted with CO 2 and was transformed into CO. Carbon conversion of the char was measured using a real time gas analyzer having NDIR CO/CO 2 sensor. The results showed that the gasification reactivity increased as the particle size decreased for a given temperature. The sensitivity of the reactivity to particle size became higher as the temperature increases. The size effects became remarkably prominent at higher temperatures and became a little prominent for lower reactivity coal. The particle size and coal type also affected reaction models. The shrinking core model described better for lower reactivity coal, whereas the volume reaction model described better for higher reactivity coal.