Experimental investigation of a small‐scale reactor with processed bio‐fuel pellets

Abstract

AbstractA developing small‐scale reactor was examined using the principles of thermal engineering design. The thermodynamic state of the system, psychrometry, and gas dynamics of the moist gas were considered in order to evaluate the quality of the end use. The performance of the reactor was defined in terms of the upgraded fuel and the design parameters of the reactor. A ring‐die was used to pelletize a milled form of black pinecones. Commercial wood pellets (hog fuel) and raw pinecones were analyzed alongside processed pinecones for comparison. A morphological analysis of the processed feedstock was carried out using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) equipped with an Everhart–Thornley detector (ETD) and an energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS). Compared with wood and with raw pinecones, the relative yield of char derived from the processed pinecones increased by 109% and 198%, respectively. On the other hand, the oil yield from processed pine was 65% lower than from raw pinecones, and the oil yield was 57% lower than that from hog fuel. The gas equations for the producer gas derived from processed pinecones pellets, raw pinecones, and the wood pellets in the reactor are PV –0.013 = C, PV –0.024 = C and PV –0.020 = C, respectively. The dew point temperature of producer gas (processed pinecones) was found to have been reduced by 2–4%. The effect of sphericity on the processed pellets increased the pressure drop across the packed bed. © 2021 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.