Things to Know About Biomass Gasification Power Systems

Biomass gasification is the combustion of biomass wastes in limited air leading to the formation of a combustible gas, known as synthesis gas or syngas, consisting of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, water, nitrogen, besides contaminants like char particles, ash and tars. Biomass gasification is an efficient way to obtain more diverse forms of energy from the thermochemical biomass conversion.

There are two main types of biomass gasifiers that are used in the biomass combustion process – fixed bed gasifiers and fluidized bed gasifiers. The conversion of biomass into a combustible gas involves a two-stage process.

The first step, known as pyrolysis, takes place at temperatures below 600°C, when volatile components contained within the biomass are released. The volatile components include organic compounds, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, tars and water vapour.

In the second stage of the gasification process, the char is reacted with steam or burnt in a limited amount of air to produce more synthesis gas. Depending on the gasifier design, the product gas may have a heating value of 6 – 19 MJ/Nm³.

Biomass Gasification Power Systems

Biomass gasification power systems are commonly based on two different pathways, depending on the scale of operations. At sizes much less than 1MW, the preferred technology combination is a moving bed gasifier and ICE combination, while at scales much larger than 10 MW, the combination is of a fluidized bed gasifier and a gas turbine.

Larger scale units than 25 MW would justify the use of a combined cycle, as is the practice with natural gas-fired gas turbine stations. In the future it is anticipated that extremely efficient gasification based power systems would be based on a combined cycle that incorporates a fuel cell, gas turbine  and possibly a Rankine bottoming cycle.

Also Read: Biogas Production from Crops and Agricultural Wastes in Europe

Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)

The most attractive means of utilising a biomass gasifier for power generation is to integrate the gasification process into a gas turbine combined cycle power plant. This will normally require a gasifier capable of producing a gas with heat content close to 19 MJ/Nm³. A close integration of the two parts of the plant can lead to significant efficiency gains.

The syngas from the gasifier must first be cleaned to remove impurities such as alkali metals that might damage the gas turbine. The clean gas is fed into the combustor of the gas turbine where it is burned, generating a flow of hot gas which drives the turbine, generating electricity.

Hot exhaust gases from the turbine are then utilised to generate steam in a heat recovery steam generator. The steam drives a steam turbine, producing more power. Low grade waste heat from the steam generator exhaust can be used within the plant, to dry the biomass waste before it is fed into the gasifier or to preheat the fuel before entry into the gasifier reactor vessel.

The gas-fired combined cycle power plant has become one of the most popular configurations for power generation in regions of the world where natural gas is available. The integration of a combined cycle power plant with a coal gasifier is now considered a potentially attractive means of burning coal cleanly in the future.

Biomass Fuel Cell Power Plant

Another potential use for the combustible gas from a biomass gasification plant is as fuel for a fuel cell power plant. Modern high temperature fuel cells are capable of operating with hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. Thus product gas from a biomass gasifier could become a suitable fuel.

As with the integrated biomass gasification combined cycle plant, a fuel cell plant would offer high efficiency. A future high temperature fuel cell burning biomass might be able to achieve greater than 50% efficiency.