Numerical Investigation of Fixed-Bed Downdraft Woody Biomass Gasification

Abstract

Gasification is a thermochemical process that deals with the conversion of carbonaceous materials such as biomass, fossil fuels, plastics, and coal into syngas through partial oxidation in a gasifier. In this work, a thermodynamic equilibrium model (both a stoichiometric and a nonstoichiometric model) for the gasification of woody biomass in a fixed-bed downdraft gasifier under steady-state conditions was constructed and solved. Thermodynamics equilibrium models of the gasification process are capable of predicting the composition of the syngas as well as its associated calorific values. The theoretical results were validated with the experimental data of gasification of the biomass, and it was found that for all practical purposes, the agreement between the experimental data and the results obtained from the thermodynamic equilibrium models was good. © 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.