Medium-scale gasification of oil palm empty fruit bunch for power generation

Abstract

This paper focuses on the performance of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) gasification using a medium-scale downdraft gasifier for power generation. The EFB gasification process was carried out at a feed rate of 126 kg/h within operating temperatures of 850–950 °C. The gasification performance was monitored based on the syngas composition, syngas calorific value (CV) and the gasification cold gas efficiency (CGE). The results show that the EFB gasification performance increases with the increasing of the operating temperature, especially in terms of the syngas CV and the gasification CGE. Operating temperature of 850–950 °C is found to be the ideal temperature range for the EFB gasification process in this medium-scale gasifier to obtain a favourable syngas CV and gasification CGE for engine application. The EFB gasification also produces a relatively low-tar syngas yield and is expected to generate 106 kWe of electricity at a temperature and feed rate of 900 °C and 126 kg/h, respectively. Based on the analysis, the EFB gasification using a medium-scale downdraft gasifier is a very promising process for power generation due to its favourable gasification performance.