BIOMASS GASIFICATION

Philippe GIRARD, Patrick ROUSSET, Laurent VAN DE STEENE Biomass Energy Reaserch Unit

25-29 DE JUNHO 2007

FLORIANOPOLIS-SC- BRAZIL

Introduction A long history

Early XIXeme : In Europe coal gasification provide gas to cities. 1860 : First gas engine 1900 : First gas engine operating with producer gas. 1910-1920 : Georges Imbert develop a wood gasifier. 1945 : 500 000 vehicles are equipped with gasifiers. Early 70 : the first oil crisis reactivate the interests for biomass gasification XXIeme century : Environment

Introduction

Dfinitions Obtain gaseous fuel through biomass heating at high temperature (900C) Different medium 9 Air : the most common - adapted for gasifier up to 50 MWth - gives gas of poor heating value (4-6 MJ/Nm3 ) due to dilution in N2 9 Oxygen : expensive dedicated to large plant - heating value 10 -15 MJ/ Nm3 9 Steam : heating value of 13 - 20 MJ / Nm3 - need of additional heat supply, due to endothermic reactions involved

Dfinitions
First step of air gasification Pyrolyse

MV + O2 CO2 + H2O C + O2 CO2 (+ CO)

Gasification

C + H 2O CO + H 2 C + CO2 2 CO C + H 2 CH 4 CO + 3H 2 CH 4 + H 2O CO + H 2O CO2 + H 2

Steam gasification (primary reaction) Boudouard reaction Hydrogenating gasification (methanisation) Steam reforming Water gas shift reaction

Dfinitions Gazification

H2O H2 CO H2 H2O CO2

C + H2O

~10,9 MJ/kg

CO + H2

C + CO2

~14,3 MJ/kg

2 CO

Char

Gasification media H2O ; CO2

pyrolyse

Energy

Oxidations homogeneous et heterogeneous

Combustion

Dfinitions Schematic gasification

Dfinitions
The reaction is endothermic Mainly 2 heterogeneous reactions (C-H2O et C-CO2 ) kinetics : slower than O2 oxidation (combustion)
Around 50 times slower for H2O around 150 times slower for CO2

Mechanisms concerned
The same as combustion

+ heterogeneous reactions typical from gasification

These reaction are often limiting

Dfinitions
1,0
1000 C 900 C

T
800 C

0,9 0,8 degree of conversion X 0,7 0,6 0,5 0,4 0,3 0,2 0,1 0,0 0 2000 4000 tim e (s)

20 % H2O 30 mm 900C (1)

900C (2) 900C (3) 900C (4) 900C (5) 900C (6) 1000C (1) 1000C (2) 800C (1) 800C (2)

6000 Time (s)

Dfinitions H2O
40 % 20 % 10 %

1,0

degree of conversion X rate

0,9 0,8 0,7 0,6 0,5 0,4 0,3 0,2 0,1 0,0 0 1000 2000 time (s) 3000

900 C 30 mm
0,2 (1) 0,2 (2) 0,2 (3) 0,4 (1) 0,4 (2) 0,1 (1) 0,2 (4) 0,2 (5) 0,2 (6) 0,1 (2) 0,1 (3)

The products
Combustible gas

CO, H2, CH4, CnHm, H2O, CO2, tars, N2

Air gasification : ~ 3-7 MJ/Nm3

NCV Oxygen gasification:

Steam gasification :

~ 9-15 MJ/Nm3

Particles in the gas (fines unconverted carbon and ashes) Bottom ashes (C content very often important Yield affected) Energy ( hot gas and losses)

The products

Air gasification
Biomass moisture Particles Tars Gas NCV H2 CO CO2 CH4 CnHm N2
%mh mg/Nm3 mg/Nm3 MJ/Nm3 % vol. % vol. % vol. % vol. % vol. % vol.

Fixed bed Down draft 6-20 100 8 000 500 - 6 000 4.0 - 5.6 15 21 10 22 11 13 15 0.5 2 difference

Fixed bed Up draft n.d. 100 - 3 000 10 000 - 150 000 3.7 - 5.1 10 14 15 20 8 10 23 n.d. difference

Circulating fluidized bed 13 20 8 000 - 100 000 2 000 - 30 000 3.6 - 5.9 15 22 13 15 13 15 24 0.1 - 1.2 difference

The products
Tars
More than 100 compounds :

- Acids (acetic, formic) - Alcohols (methanol, ethanol) - Phenols (phenol, cresol) - Guacols (guacol, creosol) - Furans - Aldehyds et ketons (formaldhyde) - Aromatic compounds (benzene, toluene, PaH, Nitrous aromatic) Results from the pyrolysis step : unconverted volatile maters and tertiary compounds formed at high temperature

Main biomass applications Combustion

COMBUSTION
Heat (gas)
Furnace and boiler

Global electric efficiency : Steam engine : 10-15 % Steam turbine : 20-30 %

Heat

Steam engine

Steam turbine

Heat

Alternator

Heat

Electricity

Gasification applications

Producer gas (clean)

Steam engine/turbine

Heat

Hydrogen rich gas

Fischer Tropsch Fuel cells

engine/ Gas turbine

heat

Electricity

Methanol

Diesel/ gasoline

Electricity

Gasification applications Gas cleaning (the gasification problem) objectives depend of the applications. For engines :
tars elimination below 10 mg/Nm3 (ppm for BTL) for engine application gas cooling from 600 to 30C sulphur content below 1 mg/Nm3 & alkali below 0.1 mg/Nm3 (gas turbine)

COMPLEX PROBLEM = create project drawbacks and failures

Several Alternatives
- catalytic cracking (ageing) - scrubber (waste water treatment) - washer (idem) - dry cleaning system - electro-precipitator (60 - 80 C)

Gasification applications

Gas specifications for different applications (indicative)

engines Calorific value Maximum temperature Particles Particles size Tars Alkali metals NH3 HCl Sulphur compounds (H2S ; COS) CO2 MJ/Nm3 C mg/Nm3 m mg/Nm3 ppb mg/Nm3 mg/Nm3 mg/Nm3 % vol. lowest < 50 < 10 < 100 na n.l.

Gas turbines 4-6 450-600 < 30 <5 0 or vapour 20-1000 n.l. <1 <1 n.l.

methanol Synthesis < 0.02 < 0.1 < 0.1 < 0.1 <1 <12, (n.l.)

n.l.

Biomass gasification applications Gasification to electricity

Combustible gas
Boiler Steam engine/turbine

Gasification combined cycle (IGCC) ~ 50 %

Gas engines (internal combustion)

Gas turbine

Steam turbine
15-20 % ~ 25-35 % 15-20 % 30-40 %

Electricity (and heat)

Gasification applications Gasification to transport fuels

Indirect processes

CHP

End use
Methanol

Gasification
air/ or oxygen Pressurised or athm. Direct or indirect

Gas cleaning
Particles Tars inorganic

Conditioning
Reforming Shift CO2 removal

Synthesis
Gas or liquid phase

Biodiesel

DME

Pre treatment
Drying Grinding Pelletisation Pyrolysis

LNG/CNG

Gasification applications Gasification included in the bio-refinery concept

Flash pyrolysis Plastics Chemicals

Herbaceous biomass

Woody biomass

Torefaction

S L U R R Y

Biodiesel Syngas Production Gas cleaning Synthesis DME

tars

Plantation

Methanol Biomass pre treatment Oil/sugar separation

Electricity

Waste materials Bioethanol Esterification

Thermo-chemical processes Solid movement within the reactor

Fixed bed
Up draft Down draft

Moving bed

Residence time

Moving grate Rotating furnace

Fluidized bed
Bubbling fluidized bed Circulating fluidized bed Entrained flow

Powder injection
burners

Gasification technologies

Fixed bed
updraft downdraft Staged gasification

Fluidized bed
bubbling circulating Entrained flow

Temperature

Gasification technologies UP draft gasifieur

Capacity : thermal : 1 5 MW Feedstock : capacity : 0.2 1 tonne dry/h size : 5 100 mm moisture content : 10 60 % Gas quality : NCV : 4000 5500 kJ/Nm3 Temperature : 150C 300C Tar content : 100 g/m3 Application : - heat State of art : - commercial but limited application (Volund)

Gasification technologies Down draft gasifier

Capacity : thermal : 20 kW 2 MW Biomass feedstock : capacity : 5 400 kg db/h size : 20 100 mm moisture < 20 % Gas : Composition : CO : 20-25 %, H2 : 11-17%, N2 : 48 - 54 % NCV : 4500 5500 kJ/m3 Temperature : 400C 600C Tar content : 0.5 3 g/m3 Application : - heat and electricity State of the art : - commercial but still R&D need

Gasification technologies
Up draft
B IO M A SS E

Down draft
BIOMASSE

GAZ
SECHAGE

SECHAGE
PY R O LY SE

PYROLYSE
R E D U C T IO N O X Y D A T IO N

OXYDATION

AIR
REDUCTION

AIR

GAZ
A IR

+ Robust and simple technologies

+ high efficiency - Not up scalable (< 350 kWel) - Limited biomass moisture ct (< 15 %)

+ Allow moist biomass - Tar content of the gas - Risk of tar condensation - Limited to thermal applications

Gasification technologies
co-courant fixed bed Martezo, France Limited to 150 KWe

Gasification technologies
Down draft Xylowatt, Belgique 80-2000 KWth

Gasification technologies
Grain processing 400 KWth

CICB 350 KWe

Ankur 250 KWe

INDIA

Mukunda 50 KWe

Gasification technologies
Stage gasification
Viking Gasifier, DTU, Dk 250 KWth

Gasification technologies
Stage gasification

Viking Gasifier, DTU, Dk 250 KWth TKe Gasifier, Dk 3 MWth

Gasification technologies
Fluidized bed
GAZ

GAZ

BIOMASSE AIR

+ easy scale up + easy temperature and residence time control + good heat transfer (sand) - High gas particle content - Limited moisture content < 20 % - Minimum application size : ~10 MWe

CENDRE

Bubbling
+ use of catalyst in the bed (dolomite) -Required appropriate sizing

circulating
+ larger tolerance towards feedstock (nature, size)

entrained
+ cleaner gas + ash slaging - Sizing of biomass - Short residence time

Gasification technologies

Fluidized bed
capacity : 5 100 MWth Feedstock : 1 20 tonnes dry/h Applications : - Heat ex : district heating Finland - Power generation - co-combustion - IGCC State of the art - commercial for heat & co-combustion (Foster Wheeler, Lurgi, TPS, ) - demonstration R&D for IGCC (Varnamo, Burlington, Repotec)

Gasification technologies
Fluidized bed
CHP-plant Gussing, Austria

Gasification technologies
Fluidized bed
CHP-plant Gussing, Austria

Capacit :

4,5 MW thermique 8 MW 2 MW lectrique

Gasification technologies

BIOFLOW par Sydkraft Varnamo Pressurized Circulating fluidized bed 18 MW, 8 MWe the only unit who demonstrate a gas turbine with producer gas

Gasification economics Economic viability of the different processes

1 kW

10 kW

100 kW

1 MW

10 MW
Co-courant

100 MW

1000 MW

Contre-courant

Lit fluidis dense Lit fluidis circulant Lit fluidis sous pression

0,2 kg/h

2 kg/h

20 kg/h

200 kg/h

2 t/h

20 t/h

200 t/h

Gasification economics Investment cost breakdown (wood)

Gasification Atmospheric Reception storage and handling Size reduction and screening Drying Gasification Gas scrubbing and waste water treatment Total Pressurised

% of total plant cost 15.4 11.1 7.7 19.2 38.5 19.2 100 5.6 13.9 55.5 13.9 100

Gasification economics Large scale applications increase logistics and transportation costs
Plant capacity Power + heat Mwel + MWth Biomass Consump. Area required Power and heat prod TWh/a each 5 25 50 150 500 1500

t/h 1+1 5+5 10 + 10 30 + 30 100 + 100 300 + 300 0.3 1.6 3 9 31 93

t/d 8 37 75 225 750 2500

t/a 1 560 7 800 15 600 46 900 156 250 486 750

ha 5t/ha 313 1 560 3 125 9 375 131 250 93 750

ha 20t/ha 78 390 780 2 300 7 800 23 500

Conclusions
Gasification advantages
Higher electric yield (engines and gas turbines) than conventional steam cycles Better emission control and emission reduction Large potential for medium size plant (1 to 5 MWe)

Feed material pre-treatment : requirements vary according to gasification technology

below 10 to 15% 20 to 80 mm down sizing, compaction to reduce Nitrogen and Alkali content

Drying Particle size Leaching

Possibility for co-gasification with coal, diesel fuel, MSW

Gas treatment remain a problem :

- particles - tars - alkali - Sulfur

Conclusions
Technology to be use will depend on the gasification process (concentration and nature) Particles Conventional filtration (cyclone, bag house filters, washer)
Pb condensation, energy efficiency

(100 mg 100 g/Nm3)

Hot filtration (ceramic or metallic filters)

Cost (operating and investment

Tars
(1 mg 150 g/Nm3)

Washer, scrubbers Thermal cracking (>1000 C) Catalytic cracking (dolomite)

Waste water treatment Energy efficiency

Poisoning, aging

Conclusions
Situation in industrialized countries

Characteristics
main scope CHP, however only heat demonstrated Capacity : 1 to 50 MWe Complete automation investment cost : 3000 to 5000 EUR/kW installed biomass cost constitute one of the major constraint (wastes)

Suppliers
less than 10 suppliers with references increasing reliability (largely demonstrated with coal or petroleum wastes)

Niche market
green electricity Wastes

Biofuels market reactivate the research (large scale)