Gasification of tire crumbs inside a drop tube reactor: Seeking optimal conversion conditions

Abstract

In this work, systematic analysis and numerical model was developed for a drop tube reactor (DTR) using tire crumbs as the feedstock. The feedstock characterization, ultimate and proximate analysis, was first determined using TGA and Flash (CHNOS) analyzer at the Masdar Institute (MI) Waste to Energy Laboratory. The systematic analysis was then used to determine the mole fraction of the product gases and the cold gasification efficiency (CGE) at varying reactor temperature and pressure. A numerical model was then developed using the lagrangian DPM of the tire particles in eularian continuous phase of the oxidant. This model also takes into account the turbulent flow (RNG k-ε model), gas phase gasification (Species Transport model), tire particles devolatilization (Two Competing Rate model), heterogeneous char reaction (Multiple Surface reaction model), particle dispersion by turbulent flow (Stochastic Discrete Random Walk model), radiation (P1 model) and particle distribution (Rosin Rammler model). The temperature distribution and product distribution of the developed model is also presented in this paper.