Preliminary Experimental of Biomass Gasification Process with Open Core Throat Less Downdraft Gasifier

Abstract

Gasification has been considered a promising approach to converting biomass into useful gaseous products. Downdraft gasifiers are famous for engine applications and used for thermal applications. The product gas has to meet the individual requirements of different end users or applications. The downdraft gasifier based on open core throat less design has been developed according to its suitability for small-sized biomass. The preliminary experiment investigated gasifying characteristics by studying the temperature distribution within the gasifier. This study used three kinds of biomass: Eucalyptus wood chip, Mimosa wood twig, and wood pellet. The results showed that the temperature distribution within the gasifier for each zone corresponds with the character of the gasifying process within the downdraft gasifier. Moreover, the temperature profiles for a gasifying process for all three biomass tests were in the same pattern. The maximum temperature was in the combustion zone (T3). The maximum temperature at the combustion zone for the Eucalyptus wood chip is the highest compared with the maximum temperature at the combustion zone of the Mimosa wood twig and wood pellet. The temperature at the combustion zone (T3) of the Eucalyptus wood chip, Mimosa wood twig, and the wood pellet were 838, 783, and 620 °C, respectively. The temperature at the combustion zone results in the temperature at the reduction zone. The average temperature at the reduction zone for gasifying all three biomass feeds ranges from 470-514 °C. While the temperature at the pyrolysis zone and the gas exit are not significantly different for all three biomass feeds. These results showed that the reaction within the gasifier could carry out continuously with a suitable temperature in each zone as per the design.