Simulation on gasification of forestry residues in fluidized beds by Eulerian-Lagrangian approach

A comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model is developed to simulate forestry residues gasification in a fluidized bed reactor using Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. The complex granular flow behaviors and chemical reaction characteristics are addressed simultaneously. The model uses an Eulerian method for fluid phase and a discrete particle method for solid phase, which takes particle contact force into account. Heterogeneous and homogenous reaction rates are solved on the Eulerian grid. The numerical model is employed to study the gasification performance in a lab-scale pine gasifier. A series of simulations have been performed with some critical parameters including temperature, equivalence ratio and steam to biomass ratio. The model predicts product gas composition and carbon conversion efficiency in good agreement with experimental data. The formation and development of flow regimes, profiles of particle species, and distributions of gas compositions inside the reactor are also discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.