BIOMASS GASIFICATION

Gasification is a thermal process that converts solid fuel (biomass) in a fuel gas mixture (synthesis gas, syngas) of low or medium calorific value by means of oxidant, such as air (O2) or water vapor (H2O) (or by combining both), consisting of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrogen and traces of hydrocarbons.

Also in the composition of it some contaminants appear, most important of which are the particles of tar, ash, ammonia, acids, and synthetic hydrocarbons.

The gasification can be performed in reactors with fixed, moving or fluidized bed, depending on its design. The synthesis gas derived from gasification can be utilized in power plants, after being cleaned. The gasification technology applied by THARROS ENERGY is downflow gasification with fixed bed, as it has several technical advantages. The wood in the form of shavings (woodchips), is imported into the reactor from the top and flows downwardly by gravity.

In the downflow fixed bed gasifier, the following processes take place at specific temperatures each:

• Drying
• Pyrolysis
• Oxidation
• Gasification or Reduction

The process of biomass gasification to produce electrical and thermal energy is a complex process, however, the advantages offered, most notably of all the great increase in energy efficiency of the unit, has led in recent years to the continuous proliferation of such units so THARROS ENERGY gives special attention to implement projects with this technology.