Modeling and Simulation of a Pilot-Scale Bubbling Fluidized Bed Gasifier for the Gasification of High Ash Indian Coal Using Eulerian Granular Approach

Abstract

Abstract The present work deals with modeling and simulation of a pilot-scale bubbling fluidized bed gasifier (BFBG) for the gasification of high ash Indian coal. Taking into account different stages of coal gasification, such as drying, volatilization, gasification and combustion processes, a two-dimensional model with quadrilateral cells is developed using FLUENT 12.0 software. The model incorporates exchange of mass, momentum and energy between gaseous phase (phase 1) and solid phase (phase 2) using Eulerian–Eulerian approach. The solid phase is described by kinetic theory of granular flows. Four heterogeneous and four homogeneous reactions covering six species in gaseous phase (CO, CO2, H2, N2, O2 and H2O) and coal in solid phase are considered for the above process. The kinetics for the homogeneous reactions are described using eddy dissipation model available in FLUENT while that for heterogeneous reactions, a user-defined function (UDF) with Arrhenius kinetics is written in C language. The validation of the above model has been done using experimental data generated in a pilot-scale BFBG at Center Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), Dhanbad, India. The computed exit gas compositions as well as temperature profile inside the gasifier are in good agreement (within an error band of ±10%) with experimental data. The flow behaviors and volume fraction profiles of gas and solid phases in the bed zone and freeboard zone of the gasifier have also been predicted using this model.