Bio4Energy Thermo-chemical platform

Summary of the first five years

Platform leaders: Prof. Rikard Gebart, LTU 2010 – 2013

Prof. Rainer Backman, UmU 2013 - present

Our vision of the way to a fossil free transport system

Nat. Gas

Fossil MeOH

HD vehicles

Methanol Plant

Waste Biomass

Pyrolysis

Gasification (LOW* / Pyrol. Oil)

Biomass gasification Solvolysis

Gasification Black Liq./ Pyrol. Oil)

Pulp Mill

Renewable MeOH

(Pul

p W

ood)

Biom

ass

Biom

ass

DME DME

Distribution

Harbors 1 2 n nn

M e t h a n o l

Bunker fuel in ships

*LOW: Liquified Organic Waste

Inorganic byproduct MeOH

MeOH

MeOH

Chemical Industry

Industry Use

SOEC*

CO2 H2O Elec.

MeOH

*Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell

For Sweden forest biomass is the natural feedstock

New solutions must be compatible with the existing forest industry

Source: Biomassaflöden i svensk skogsnäring 2004, Per Olov Nilsson. Rapport 23-2006 Skogsstyrelsen ISSN 1100-0295 *Million tons dry biomass

Black liquor gasification

Felling residues

Use by-products and residues; integrate with existing processes

Biomass gasification

Fuel & chemicals

Source: Biomassaflöden i svensk skogsnäring 2004, Per Olov Nilsson. Rapport 23-2006 Skogsstyrelsen ISSN 1100-0295 *Million tons dry biomass

Fuel & Chemicals

• Potential for motor fuel from by-products and residues is 30-45 TWh/year (FFF utredningen)

• Significant potential for further electrification and energy savings

• Makes a totally fossil free transport system possible

Forest biomass to motor fuels

• Processes must be compatible with a wide variation of fuel and ash properties

• Syngas must be clean for catalytic conversion • Entrained flow gasification is our focus

– High quality syngas, low tar, low CH4

– Fuel flexible but fuel particle size must be “small” – Scalable to very large size (>1500 MW) – Easier to pressurize compared to other gasifiers – Challenges connected to high temperature and short

residence time

RAW GAS

GREEN LIQUOR

CONDENSATE

BLACK LIQUOR

GAS COOLER

REACTOR

QUENCH

COOLING WATER

WEAK WASH

OXYGEN AND ATOMIZING MEDIA

PARTLY CLEANED, COOL

SYNTHESIS GAS

Black liquor from the pulp industry (40 TWh/y)

Liquid fuel issues: • Heating value • Fuel reactivity • Viscosity, surface tension • Atomization (nozzle) • Ash properties

• Strong catalytic effect • Very corrosive

Hot reactor issues: • Slagging behavior • Fuel dispersion • Droplet conversion • Heat & mass transfer • Radiation heat transfer • Slag-wall interaction

Quench cooling issues: • Green liquor is the primary

product, chemicals recovery • Must have 100% burn-out • Must minimise CO2

absorption in smelt for best GL quality

Solid fuel from the forest industry

8

Solid fuel issues: • Heating value • Pretreatment • Particle size • Fuel reactivity • Feeding rate uniformity • Ash properties

Hot reactor issues: • Slagging behavior • Fuel dispersion • Particle conversion • Soot formation • Heat & mass transfer • Radiation heat transfer • Slag-wall interaction

Quench cooling issues: • Particle burn-out still

important but does not have to be 100%

• Separation of soot, char and slag from syngas

• Quench water treatment

Important issues in entrained flow gasification

Drying

Devolatilization

Char gasification

Smelt formation

Refr

acto

ry li

ning

Spray burner

Initial droplet

Dry solids

Char

Smelt

Sampling probe

0.6 m

2.3 m

• Extremely high heating rates (10 000°K/s)

• Very short residence time (app. 2-10 s)

• Turbulence, chemistry and radiation heat transfer equally important

• Partly solidified slag layer on wall

Underpinning research in lab scale

Soot formation Particle

morphology

Refractory-ash reactions

Applied research – modeling and experiments in pilot and lab scale

Visualization and diagnosis of pilot plants

Process optimization by CFD simulation

Recruitments

• Kentaro Umeki, LTU: fuel conversion and modeling • Eynas Amer, LTU: optical methods for fuel

characterisation • Rikard Gebart, LTU: fluid dynamics, heat & mass

transfer, CFD modeling • Rainer Backman, UmU: high temperature ash

chemistry, modeling, materials • Florian Schmidt, UmU: laser absorption spectroscopy • Roger Molinder, ETC: Process water chemistry, fuel

conversion experiments, material characterisaton

•Reactors – Fuel characterization drop tube at ETC

– Characterization of different raw materials

– Analytical drop tube at LTU – Refining and developing particle conversion models

– Flat flame reactor at LTU – Fundamental investigation of biomass flame

– Pulverized fuel entrained flow reactor at LTU – Optical access for detailed flame studies, up to 40 kW fuel

– Simulating entrained flow reactor at UMU – Can be operated both in drop tube and EFR mode, up to 5kW fuel

input. For fuel conversion and ash (trans)formation studies

– Small scale drop tube at UMU – Prototype for initial PIV development

Strategic and coordinated investments

ETC Drop Tube Reactor • Movable sampling probe • Powder and liquid fuel

UMU Laminar Drop Tube Reactor • Prototype for development of optical

in situ data collection

LTU laboratory • Flat flame reactor • Drop tube reactor

with optical access • 40 kW EF reactor • Optical measurement

•SFC is a competence center •Funding 1/3 Academy, 1/3 industry, 1/3 Swedish

Energy Agency •Collaboration with KTH and Chalmers and

through them with additional universities and institutes

•> 25 companies are co-funding the research •Annual budget 58.5 million SEK • 1/3 is connected to B4E thermochemical platform

Integration with Swedish Center for Biomass Gasification (SFC)

Motor fuels

from the forest

SFC

Bio4Energy (7 platforms)

LTU Biosyngas Program

GoBiGas

B4G CDGB CIGB

Thermochemical platform

Basic UP

Applied AP

Practical

Chalmers

Thermochemical and catalytic platforms

Sub projects in B4G/B4E thermochem • Fundamental

– UP1 Thermochemistry, Rainer Backman (UmU) – UP2 Development of experimental methods for characterization of fuel

conversion processes, Markus Broström (UmU) – UP3 Fuel conversion sub-models for entrained flow gasifiers of biomass,

Kentaro Umeki (LTU) – UP4 Material-ash interaction, Rainer Backman (UmU)

• Applied research in industrially relevant scale – AP1 Evaluation of torrefied materials in entrained flow gasifiers, Anders

Nordin (UmU) – AP2 Process control and optimisation of EFG, Henrik Wiinikka (ETC) – AP3 Laser diagnostics for soot, tar and ash in biofuel gasification, Per-Erik

Bengtsson (LTH) – AP4 Ash in entrained flow gasifiers, Rainer Backman (UmU) – AP5 Cyclone gasification, Rikard Gebart (LTU)

• Problem oriented projects – New call every year – Coordinated by Fredrik Weiland, ETC

Joint experiments using the ETC drop tube

0) Learn how to use the equipment i) Detailed studies on particle size and shape changes ii) Correlating intrinsic char reactivity with variables available iii) Learn more about release and transformation of the

inorganics Pyrolysis conditions (N2) Pine and Wheat straw 900°C and 1100°C Sampled at three different heights

Anna Persson Umu

Per Holmgren Umu

David Wagner Umu

Roger Molinder ETC

Henrik Wiinikka ETC

Kentaro Umeki LTU

Markus Broström Umu

Example results from drop tube experiments

SEM on “silicon ball” found in wheat

SEM on pine melt

The future looks bright for renewable fuels from the forest

Acknowledgements

• Swedish Energy Agency

• Pite Energi • Holmen • Sveaskog • Chemrec • SCA • Luleå Energi • Skellefteå Kraft

• Bioendev • Smurfit Kappa • IVAB • MEVA Innovation • Nordlight • Preem • Aga/Linde