EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON SYNGAS GENERATION FROM LENGA WOOD WASTE IN A SMALL SCALE DOWNDRAFT GASIFIER IN THE CHILEAN PATAGONIA REGION

摘要

This work presents an experimental study on the gasification of wood obtained as a by-product of therntimber industry in the Magallanes region, Chile, to be used for rural electricity production. The gasification processrnuses biomass from Lenga wood (Nothofagus pumilio). A small scale gasifier of the Imbert type, with a fixed bed andrndowndraft process is selected. The gasifier has a maximum electric power output of 10 kW, and it burns wood chipsrnin a controlled combustion that produces a synthetic gas (syngas), which is fed to an internal combustion enginernpowering an electric generator. The experimental work develops in three stages: first, pre-treatment andrncharacterization of Lenga wood chips; second, assembling and instrumentation of the gasifier unit; third, analysis ofrnthe production rate and composition of the obtained syngas. The results indicate that 1 kg of Lenga wood returns onrnaverage 1.85 m~3 of syngas, with 1.02 kg/m~3 density, and 6.6 MJ/m~3 Lower Heating Value. Overall, the results and thernexperience gained in the study can be considered as a first and promising step toward the development of small-scalernLenga biomass gasification for rural electrification in the region.