An Investigation on Performance of a Horizontal Entrained Flow Gasifier

Abstract

A novel study on biomass-air gasification using a horizontal entrained-flow gasifier has been conducted. The use of a horizontal entrained-flow gasifier reactor was employed to assess the effect of the gasifier reactor orientation on the gasification process. The gasification experiments were conducted at 800˚C and equivalence ratio of 0.23 while maintaining gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 8000 h−1 . Preparation and characterisation of wood powder were performed using classical methods. The research findings showed that maximum fuel conversion and cold gas efficiency using a horizontal entrained-flow gasifier were 99% and 70% respectively compared to 91% and 62% respectively of the vertical design. Moreover, the gasifier length can also be reduced from the common 1000 - 2000 mm to 500 mm. In general, the results of this study suggest that there exists a sensitivity to the gasifier orientation on the overall gasification process.