Advanced Entrained-Flow Gasifier Modeling Based on an In-Situ Particle Conversion Study

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Andreas Richter
• Subject Area: Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering
• Term: from 2018 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 391987721

The gasification of carbon-containing waste such as plastics is a key technology in the reduction of the carbon footprint resulting from the chemical industry's use of carbonaceous feedstock, and the essential aspect of a closed carbon cycle. In addition, it can help to overcome the waste problems faced by many countries worldwide. For alternative gasification feedstocks such as waste it is necessary to adapt the gasification technology to the current framework. One promising alternative to the classical, lengthy and cost-intensive method of technology development/adjustment from lab-scale to pilot-scale to demo-scale is numerical modeling.From the literature, only a few validated CFD models are capable of reliably reflecting local phenomena in a high-pressure/high-temperature reactor. To develop these reliable models, in-situ particle measurements in the bench-scale OMB gasifier operated at the East China University of Science and Technology will be combined with particle-resolved numerical studies on heterogeneous fuel conversion at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Optical access to the OMB reactor allows local effects to be studied in situ, such as particle movement, particle transformation, and particle fragmentation. Measurements taken inside the process are the basis for developing advanced particle conversion models. Detailed, particle-resolved numerical simulations that comprise the coal/char conversion phenomena support this development. Based on the new, advanced submodels, the char conversion inside the bench-scale OMB gasifier will then be studied using CFD, and the results will be carefully validated against the measurements taken in the gasifier. As a next step, the conversion of alternative feedstocks, e.g. selected secondary raw materials, will be considered. For this purpose, experimental investigations will be carried out, the particle conversion behavior will be studied in detail, and the conversion submodels will be adjusted. Final calculations are designed to confirm the reliability and flexibility of the entire gasifier CFD model. The overall goal is to develop and approve advanced, validated CFD models that reliably predict the local conversion phenomena in industrial entrained-flow processes for different kinds of solid fuel as a basis for developing new technologies and utilizing alternative fuels.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Partner Organisation: National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Fuchen Wang
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Jörg Kleeberg; Dr. Sebastian Kriebitzsch; Professor Dr.-Ing. Bernd Meyer; Dr. Dmitry Safronov