Modeling of industrial-scale sorption enhanced gasification process: One-dimensional simulations for the operation of coupled reactor system

Abstract

Sorption enhanced gasification (SEG) is a promising technology for producing gas derived from renewable feedstock to be used in biofuel synthesis processes. As a response to the growing need for renewable fuels, an SEG reactor design was developed for industrial-scale dimethyl ether (DME) production. A 100MWth scale SEG reactor concept for wood pellets as a feedstock was created by a model-based approach. Thus, a 1D modeling tool for the coupled circulating fluidized beds was developed. The model was used to investigate the dual fluidized bed system’s operation in the gasifier temperature range of 730-790°C. In this range, the optimal producer gas composition without external hydrogen for the downstream DME synthesis was achieved at gasifier temperature 730°C: 63 %vol;db H2, 11 %vol;db CO, 13 %vol;db CO2. The model prediction was successfully compared against experimental data and modeling results from the literature. The developed 1D model enables the investigation of the composition and yield of the producer gas with different operating parameters, such as the part-load operation. This advanced capability can be used to develop new control strategies for the SEG system and investigate the impact of various operating parameters on the producer gas composition and yield.