Investigation of oxygen-enriched biomass gasification with TFM-DEM hybrid model

Abstract

A clear discrepancy of particle size makes it difficult for the simulation of multiphase systems with binary mixture. In this work, a Two-Fluid Model (TFM)-Discrete Element Method (DEM) hybrid model incorporating chemical reactions is developed to investigate the oxygen-enriched biomass gasification process in a fluidized bed reactor. The bed material granular flow is described with the TFM, whereas biomass fuel particles are tracked with the DEM. The species transport and chemical reactions are further taken into consideration under the framework of the TFM-DEM hybrid model. By comparing with experimental data, the model can give a good prediction. Meanwhile, the particle size distribution (PSD) during the gasification process and the effect of operating velocity are also analyzed. The results demonstrate that there exists the discrepancy of PSD for different layers of bed.