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Hot Gas Conditioning: Recent Progress with Larger-Scale Biomass Gasification Systems - 2001

Stevens, Don J.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

In this pdf format, this document has 103 pages and is 913kb.

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT i
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
CONTENTS vii
FIGURES ix
TABLES ix
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 BIOMASS GASIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES 3
  2.1 Basics of Biomass Gasification 3
  2.1.1 Gasification Approaches 4
2.1.2 Gasifier Designs and Influences on Product Gas Composition 4
2.2 Status of Biomass Gasification Technologies 7
2.3 The Relationship Between Biomass Gasification and Combustion 9
2.4 Gasification of Other Solid Fuels 9

3

 PRODUCT GAS CLEANUP AND CONDITIONING 11
  3.1 General Considerations 11
3.2 Gas Phase Contaminants 12
  3.2.1 Particulates 12
3.2.2 Alkali Compounds 14
3.2.3 Tars from Biomass Gasification 16
3.2.4 Nitrogen Containing Contaminants 17
3.2.5 Sulfur 18
3.2.6 Other Considerations for Synthesis Gas 18

3.3

 Gas Cleanup Technologies and Recent Progress 18
  3.3.1 Particulate Removal Technologies 19
3.3.2 Technologies for alkali removal 23
3.3.3 Tar Removal Technologies 24
3.3.4 Removal of Nitrogen Containing Compounds 32
3.3.5 Sulfur Removal 32
3.3.6 Hydrocarbon reduction and gas conditioning for producing synthesis gases and hydrogen 33

3.4

 Survey of Biomass Gas Conditioning Technologies 34

4

 INTEGRATED GASIFICATION / END-USE SYSTEMS 35
 

4.1

 Fuel Gases for System with Minimal Gas Conditioning Requirements 37
  4.1.1 Overall Gas Conditioning Strategy - Minimal Gas Conditioning 37
4.1.2 Example of a Gasification System Requiring Minimal Gas Conditioning: Lahti, Finland 37
4.1.3 Example of a Gasification System Requiring Minimal Gas Conditioning: Primenergy, Stuttgart Arkansas 40

4.2

 Cool Fuel Gases for Systems with Significant Gas Conditioning Requirements 42
  4.2.2 Example of a Gasification System Producing Cool, Conditioned Gas: Amergas Facility in Geertruidenber, Netherlands 44
4.2.3 Example of a Gasification Systems Producing Cool, Conditioned Gas: ARBRE Facility in United Kingdom. 47
4.2.4 Example of a Gasification Systems Producing Cool, Conditioned Gas: Vermont Gasifier Project, Burlington, Vermont, USA 50
4.2.5 Other Related Systems 53

4.3

 Hot or Warm Fuel Gases for Systems with Significant Gas Conditioning Requirements 53
 

4.3.1

 Example of a Gasification System Producing Hot, Conditioned Gas: Varnamo Facility in Sweden 54

4.4

 Synthesis Gases for the Production of Fuels and Chemicals, and Hydrogen for Use with Fuel Cells 57
  4.4.1 Current Production of Fuels and Chemicals from Synthesis Gas 58
4.4.2 Biomass-based Production of Synthesis Gas 58
4.4.3 Biomass Gasification to Produce Hydrogen for Fuel Cells 60

5

 DISCUSSION AND RESEARCH NEEDS 63
 

5.1

 Summary of the Status of Gas Conditioning for Large-Scale Gasification Systems 63
  5.1.1 Progress in Understanding Gas Conditioning Processes 63
5.1.2 Progress Relating to Gas Conditioning in Integrated Systems 65

5.2

 Summary of Research and Development Needs 68

6

 REFERENCES 71
APPENDIX 1. GAS CONDITIONING TECHNOLOGY SURVEY 81
 
FIGURES
Figure 4.1 Temperature Profile of Lahti Gasification System 38
Figure 4.2 Temperature Profile of Primenergy Gasification System 41
Figure 4.3 Temperature Profile of Amergas Gasification System 45
Figure 4.4 Temperature Profile of ARBRE Gasification System 48
Figure 4.5 Temperature Profile of Planned Vermont Gasification System 51
Figure 4.6 Temperature Profile of the Varnarno Gasifier System 55
 

TABLES
Table 2.1 Comparison of measured particulate and tar levels from different biomass gasifier designs 5
Table 3.1 Inorganic content of biomass feedstocks 14
Table 3.2 Compositiion of ash from selected biomass 14
Table 3.3 Concentration of alkali in fuel 15
Table 3.4 Alkali filtration results 24
Table 3.5 Relative efficiencies of tar removal for wet scrubbers 26
Table 3.6 Reported tar removal efficiencies of wet scrubbers 26
Table 4.1 Representative large-scale gasification projects 36
Table 4.2 Gas conditioning systems requiring minimal gas conditioning. Example: Lahti gasifier where product gas is cofired with coal in a steam-cycle power station 40
Table 4.3 Gas conditioing systems requiring minimal gas conditioning. Example: Primenergy gasifier where product gas is used for steam-cycle power generation 42
Table 4.4 Gas conditioning in systems requireing significant gas conditioing. Example: Amergas facility in Netherlands 46
Table 4.5 Particulate loading limits for gas turbines 48
Table 4.6 Gas conditioning in systems requiring significant gas conditioing. Example: ARBRE facility in United Kingdom. Gasification/gas turbine cogeneration facility 49
Table 4.7 Gas conditioning in systems requiring significant gas conditioning. Example: Vermont Gasifier Project. Gasification/gas turbine cogeneration facility 49
Table 4.8 Gas conditioniing in systems requiring significant gas conditioning. Example: Varnamo facility in Sweden. Gasification/gas turbine cogeneration facility 56
Table 4.9 General fuel cell characteristics 62