Numerical simulation of a biomass cyclone gasifier: Effects of operating conditions on gasifier performance

In Nordic countries, biomass gasification in a cyclone gasifier combined with a gas engine has been employed to generate small scale heat and power. Numerical simulations were carried out to analyze the effect of different operating conditions on the functioning of the gasifier. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved together with the eddy-break up combustion model in conjunction with a modified k − ϵ model to predict the temperature and the flow field inside the gasifier. Results were compared with the experimental measurements in a 4.4 MW cyclone gasifier constructed by Meva Energy AB at Hortlax, Piteå, Sweden. The predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental data and the model provides detailed information about the gas compositions, cold gas efficiency and temperature field. Furthermore, the model allows different operating scenarios to be examined in an efficient manner such as the number of inlets, fuel to air velocity difference (slip-velocity) and moisture content in the fuel feedstock. The cold gas efficiency, composition of product gases and outlet temperature were monitored for each test case. These findings help to understand the importance of geometry modification, feedstock contents and make it possible to scale-up the gasifier for future applications.