Experimental Investigation and Techno Economic Analysis of Open Core Gasifier by Using Shredded Cotton Stalk as Feedstock

U D Dobariya,P N Sarsavadiya

doi:10.12944/cwe.11.1.38

Abstract

Investigation on gasification of shredded cotton stalk was carried out by developing an open core throat less downdraft gasifier reactor (capacity: 70 MJh-1).Performance of the gasifier was carried out at six different gas flow rate (12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 m3/h)levels.The gasifier performed best at 18 m3h-1gas flow rate with equivalence ratio,gasification efficiency, specific gasification rate,specific gas production rate and fuel consumption rate of 0.35, 71.05 %, 192.51 kgh-1m-2,481.28m3h-1m-2and 7.2 kgh-1respectively. The economic analysis was carried out by considering shredded cotton stalk as feed stalk and compared with briquette. The benefit cost ratio of the gasifier systemwas increased from 1.45 to 2.18 (50.34%) and payback period decreased from 5y9m to 3y 5m (40.39 %) considering shredded cotton stalk as feed stock and compared with briquette for (gas flow rate: 18 m3h-1, daily operation: 20 h per day) 270 days of operation per year.

Highlights

India has the largest area in the world (9 mn ha) under cotton cultivation and is the largest producer of cotton (2.7 mn MT, 0.3 MTha-1)
The results of equivalence ratio at different gas flow rates in the present study were in accordance with the results presented by [15] and reported that the equivalence ratio was increased from 0.27 to 0.44 as the gas flow rate increased from 5.66 to 17.40m3h-1 for open core gasification of rice husk
Maximum gasification efficiency of 71.05 % was found at the gas flow rate of 18 m3h-1 and specific gasification rate of 192.51 kgh-1m-2

Summary

Introduction

India has the largest area in the world (9 mn ha) under cotton cultivation and is the largest producer of cotton (2.7 mn MT, 0.3 MTha-1). Gujarat state is the largest cotton producer in India and accounts for about 714000 MT of India’s total production with only 18 % (1.6 mn ha) of India’s total area under cotton cultivation with an average productivity of 0.45 MT. Cotton stalk has about same heating value (17 MJkg-1 on dry basis) as wood and half that of a good quality coal. It has found much use as an energy resource due to good combustion characteristics

Methods

Results

Conclusion