Experimental Study on Effects of Addition of Rice Husk on Coal Gasification

Authors: M. Bharath, Vasudevan Raghavan, B. V. S. S. S. Prasad, S. R. Chakravarthy

Abstract:

In this experimental study, effects of addition of rice husk on coal gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed gasifier, operating at atmospheric pressure with air as gasifying agent, are reported. Rice husks comprising of 6.5% and 13% by mass are added to coal. Results show that, when rice husk is added the methane yield increases from volumetric percentage of 0.56% (with no rice husk) to 2.77% (with 13% rice husk). CO and H₂ remain almost unchanged and CO₂ decreases with addition of rice husk. The calorific value of the synthetic gas is around 2.73 MJ/Nm³. All performance indices, such as cold gas efficiency and carbon conversion, increase with addition of rice husk.

Keywords: Bubbling fluidized bed reactor, coal gasification, calorific value, rice husk.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1316117

References:

[1] K. Vijay Kumar, M. Bharath, Vasudevan Raghavan, B. V. S. S. S. Prasad, S. R. Chakravarthy, T. Sundararajan, “Gasification of high-ash Indian coal in bubbling fluidized bed using air and steam - An experimental study,” Applied Thermal Engineering 116 (2017) 372–381.
[2] Lucio Zaccariello, Maria Laura Mastellone, Fluidized-Bed Gasification of Plastic Waste, Wood, and Their Blends with Coal, Energies. Italy (2015) 8052-8068.
[3] J. F. Vélez, F. Chejne, C. F. Valdés, E. J. Emery and C. A. Londoño, “Co-gasification of Colombian coal and biomass in fluidized bed: an experimental study,” Fuel 88 (3) (2009) 424–430.
[4] K. Sjöström, G. Chen, Q. Yu, C. Brage and C. Rosén, “Promoted reactivity of char in co-gasification of biomass and coal: synergies in the thermochemical process,” Fuel 78 (10) (1999) 1189–1194.
[5] M. H. Lapuerta, J. J. Hern´andez, A. Pazo, and J. L´opez, “Gasification and co-gasification of biomass wastes: effect of the biomass origin and the gasification reactor operating conditions,” Fuel Processing Technology 89 (9) (2008) 828–837.
[6] Y. G. Pan, E. Velo, X. Roca, J. J. Manya, and L. Puigjaner, “Fluidized-bed co-gasification of residual biomass/poor coal blends for fuel gas production,” Fuel 79 (11) (2000) 1317– 1326.
[7] J. J. Hernandez, G. Aranda-Almansa, and C. Serrano, “Cogasification of biomass wastes and coal-coke blends in an entrained flow gasification reactor: an experimental study,” Energy and Fuels 24 (4) (2010) 2479–2488.
[8] D. Kunii, O. Levenspiel, Fluidization Engineering, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1991.
[9] P. Basu, Combustion and Gasification in Fluidized Beds, Taylor and Francis Group, 2006.
[10] A. D. Engelbrecht, B. C. North, B. O. Oboirien, R. C. Everson, H. W. P. J. Neomagus, Fluidized bed gasification of high ash South African coals: an experimental and modelling study, Proc. Ind. Fluid. South Africa (2011) 145-160.
[11] Masnadi Mohammad S, Grace, John, T. Bi. Xiaotao, Lim Jim and Ellis Naoko, “From fossil fuels towards renewables,’’ Applied Energy (2015) 196-209.