Volume 1: Energy Innovations: Accelerated Deployment, New Concepts, and Emerging Technologies

100 hours’ continuous operation of a distributed power generation system based on carbonized biomass gasification Lu Ding, Kunio Yoshikawa,

Abstract

Small-scale, distributed and low cost biomass power generation technologies are highly required in the modern society. There are big needs for these technologies in the disaster areas of developed countries and unelectrified rural areas of developing countries. This work aims to propose a technical feasibility analysis about the ultra-small power generation system based on the gasification of carbonized biomass wastes. A combined pretreatment processes including carbonization without external energy and densification were adopted to deal with various biomass. The 100 hours’ continuous operation results indicated that pelletization/briquetting of carbonized fuel realized the stable operation of an updraft gasifier if there were no blocking issues caused by the accumulation of tar. The cold gas efficiency and the carbon conversion during carbonized wood pellets gasification was about 49.2% and 70.5% with the equivalence ratio (ER) value around 0.32, and the power generation efficiency of the engine generator was 20.3% during the stable stage. Moreover, the maximum output power was 21 kW. Therefore, the comprehensive system covering biomass carbonization, densification, gasification, syngas purification, and engine system is feasible for ultra-small power generation. In conclusion, this small-scale biomass gasification and power generation system is a triad solution for independent energy production, and urban waste treatment, and CO2 reduction.

Keywords small-scale power generation, densification, carbonized pellet, carbonized briquette, gasification.