Numerical investigation of biomass fast pyrolysis in a free fall reactor

Abstract

This work presents two-dimensional numerical investigations of fast pyrolysis of red oak in a free fall reactor. The Euler–Lagrange approach of multiphase flow theory was proposed in order to describe the behaviour of solid particles in the gaseous domain. The main goal of this study was to examine the impact of the flow rate of inert gas on the pyrolysis process. Calculation domain of the reactor was made according to data found in the literature review. Volume flow rates were 3, 9, 18, and 25 l/min, respectively. Nitrogen was selected as an inert gas. Biomass pyrolysis was conducted at 550 ◦ C with a constant mass flow rate of biomass particles equal to 1 kg/h. A parallel multistage reaction mechanism was applied for the thermal conversion of red oak particles. The composition of biomass was represented by three main pseudo-components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The received products of pyrolysis were designated into three groups: solid residue (char and unreacted particles), primary tars and non-condensable gases. In this work the impact of the volume flow rate on the heating time of solid particle, temperature distribution, yields and char mass fraction has been analysed. The numerical solutions were verified according to the literature results when the flow of nitrogen was set at 18 l/min. The calculated results showed that biomass particles could be heated for longer when the flow rate of nitrogen was reduced, allowing for a greater concentration of volatile matter.