A decentralized biomass torrefaction reactor concept. Part I: Multi-scale analysis and initial experimental validation
Name
Manuscript_Part 1_Composite.pdf
Description
Accepted version
Size
832.33 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
aea6a8554475c20eb484193a349b2071
Author(s)
Kung, Kevin S.
Shanbhogue, Santosh
Slocum Jr., Alexander H
Ghoniem, Ahmed F
Date Issued
June 2019
Journal
Biomass and Bioenergy
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Citation
Kung, Kevin S. et al. "A decentralized biomass torrefaction reactor concept. Part I: Multi-scale analysis and initial experimental validation." Biomass and Bioenergy 125 (June 2019): 196-203 © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
A new, simplified biomass torrefaction reactor concept that operates under oxygen-lean conditions is proposed as a potential way to downscale torrefaction reactors for small- and medium-scale applications. To verify the feasibility of the concept, a multi-scale analysis was conducted to understand the design requirements, underlying chemistry, intra-particle effects, and overall reactor-scale heat transfer. We demonstrate that the heat transfer within the reactor and the appropriate reactor height is largely determined by gas-phase advection. Finally, by implementing a laboratory-scale reactor and operating it under diverse conditions, we show that such a design can indeed satisfy the requirements for torrefaction. This lays the basis for the second part of this two-part paper, where we develop a detailed mathematical model for this concept. In future studies, we will also systematically define and map the performance metrics and reaction conditions in order to understand the scaling laws for potential commercialization of this concept.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tata Center for Technology and Design
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2018.11.004
