Abstract
The study presents the problem of heat exchange in the biomass carbonisation reactor with cyclic operation. Based on the actual parameter of the biomass carbonisation reactor, a geometrical model was developed, and the computation of the heating process was conducted for two cases: an empty reactor and a filled reactor. Its result demonstrated that for the analysed configuration of the reactor, the process of heating biomass in the containers is limited by the capability of heat transfer to the biomass in the container. The results suggest opportunities for the improved heat exchange in the reactor and, accordingly, shortening heating time through installation of the system that forces circulation of hot air inside the reactor.
Highlights
Charcoal is used in many domains of life
Regardless of the reactor design, charcoal production occurs at several stages, including biomass pre-heating, drying and heating, to reach temperature of initiation of autothermal process reaction, which is around 280-300oC
From the standpoint of the charcoal production, the biggest limitation in obtaining high efficiency is a stage connected with the process of providing heat to biomass in order to pre-heat it, dry and heat to the temperature of initiation of autothermal process of biomass carbonisation
Summary
Charcoal is used in many domains of life. Depending on the method of its production and physicochemical properties, charcoal can be used as a fuel, a component for production of absorbents (activated carbon), a component of fertilisers, and an additive to soil aimed to improve water retention [1]. Production of charcoal occurs in the reactors through thermal processing of biomass at temperatures from 300 to 700oC with no or minimal amount of oxygen. Regardless of the reactor design, charcoal production occurs at several stages, including biomass pre-heating, drying and heating, to reach temperature of initiation of autothermal process reaction, which is around 280-300oC. In this part of thermal processing of biomass, it is unnecessary to supply heat from the outside to the process of biomass carbonisation, whereas it is needed to cover the reactor heat loss to its surroundings. The study presents numerical analysis of the process of heat exchange in the biomass carbonisation reactor with cyclic operation
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