Development of Biomass Gasification Technology with Fluidized-Bed Reactors for Enhancing Hydrogen Generation: Part I, Hydrodynamic Characterization of Dual Fluidized-Bed Gasifiers

Various means for enhancing hydrogen content in the syngas from gasification of solid biomass in fluidized-bed reactors were investigated in this study. Steam or oxygen-rich gas can be supplied as gasification medium, to improve the syngas characteristics. Alternatively, a so-called “indirect gasification technology” realizes the thermo-chemical conversion processes in dual reactors, respectively, for combustion and gasification, where gaseous streams in between are separated while solid materials are circulated through. Hence, with air as oxidant for combustion this system features the advantage of producing nearly nitrogen-free syngas. Baseline experiments were firstly carried out to identify performance features; then, parametric studies were conducted and positive trends for enhancing hydrogen generation via biomass gasification were revealed. Moreover, hydrodynamic characteristics in dual reactors were comprehensively envisaged in the cold-flow models to facilitate subsequent investigation into thermo-chemical processes. The experimental results indicated that the circulation mass of the bed material driven by the operating air exceeded the design value, which gave a comfortable safety factor of the engineering design. In addition, the average pressure distribution measured by the cyclic operation of the system was similar to that of the published literature. Based on the experimental results of the cold model, the suggestions of the operating tests in the hot model were addressed. Further efforts will be pursued to establish databases for clean energy and carbon abatement technologies.