Design and Performance of Small-scale Downdraft Biomass Gasification: A Case Study of Rice Husks

Energy consumption and environmental pollutants have to become present issues. So, the reduced of energy fossil in the community is to overcome the highly prices of oil and gas. Therefore, an alternative energy innovation from biomass is needed. Gasification is to energy produces from solid material to convert into gases such as sawdust, leaves, rice husks and more gases. In this study, we made a small-scale design of biomass gasification. It will give more several advantages such as simple design, especially for rural area. In this research, we used methods consists of five stages. First is literature study; secondly to design and material process; thirdly is manufacturing and assembly; next stages is measurement and data collection; and the last stages is testing, which is evaluating the performance of gasification as possible modifying tools if needed. In this design, we used a fan-blower to supply fresh air as limited oxygen into the fuel column. The results of test, we obtained an average boiling time, the pot stove of 60 minutes which the temperature rises from 47.24C to 66C. It showed the temperature pot stove have to highest reached to 79.5C as the temperature available to water boiling. The performance test given the results as the hot start as the flame-fire temperature on top the stove. We obtained the highest temperature is to 146C and the average temperature is reached to 104.9C. Based on that we estimated energy is to 5.314 kJ/hr, is required cooking for one family in Indonesia, the coned downdraft gasification was design and assembly; the total height and diameter of 0.752m and of 0.158m. We found the thermal temperature reaches during the operation time varying between 45.8% 64.4% it’s lowest to the highest value test using thermocouple data. As a conclusion of this study, we obtained the temperature of pot-stove is slowly reaches from 59.5% to 71.6% of boiling water.