SIMULATION OF BIOMASS GASIFICATION PROCESSES WITH ASPEN PLUS BY DECOUPLING THE MAIN CHEMICAL PHENOMENA OCCURRING IN A GASIFIER

摘要

Simulation of biomass gasification processes by detailed flow diagrams and an Aspen Plus ? typemodel is a powerful tool to evaluate mass and energy flows as a function of processes designs. The simulation of thegasification reactor is one of the main key points to achieve a convenient process description. The paper addresses adetailed methodology for the simulation of a biomass gasifier by coupling Aspen Plus and Fortran softwares. Themain reactions occurring in a gasifier are taking into account in separate Fortran modules: biomass pyrolysis, gaseouspyrolysis products conversion and char conversion. Empirical correlations and kinetic data are implemented in thesemodules. Almost all gasifiers’ technologies can be simulated by this methodology. Gas and tar compositions of aBattelle dual fluidized bed gasifier are simulated by this methodology. The predictive capability of this method ismuch higher than equilibrium-based calculations or than global empirical correlations (suitable only for a specificgasifier technology), as it is closer to real chemical phenomena occurring in gasifiers. This general methodology willbe used to define better process engineering (catalyst reactivity and selectivity, heat recovery, etc.) and to optimizemass, energy and exergy balances of thermochemical processes.