Gasification of porous carbon particle by steam

Abstract

Diffusive-kinetic model of porous carbon particle gasification by steam is developed. The model considers the processes of heat and mass transfer both inside the porous particle and above it. Heat losses by radiation to the particle from furnace wall are taken into account. Heterogeneous reactions of carbon with steam and carbon with carbon dioxide and homogeneous reaction of carbon monoxide with steam are considered. Pressure variation caused by gas mass increasing inside the particle is considered too. The analysis of the model inside the porous particle made possible determining the correlation between the reaction rate of carbon with steam and the reaction rate of carbon with carbon dioxide. The homogeneous reaction is supposed to be equilibrium. It is considered that the kinetics of heterogeneous reactions is known, than the equations of the model may be solved; and consequently the dependences of the particle gasification rate and the composition of the gasification products vs. composition, pressure and temperature of ambient gas and the internal surface of the porous particle are determined.