A Gasification Technology to Combine Oil Sludge with Coal–Water Slurry: CFD Analysis and Performance Determination

Abstract

The development of more environment-friendly ways to dispose of oil sludge is currently regarded as a hot topic. In this context, gasification technologies are generally seen as a promising way to combine oil sludge with coal-water slurry (CWS) and generate resourceful fuel. In this study, a novel five-nozzle gasifier reactor was analyzed by means of a CFD (Computational fluid dynamic) method. Among several influential factors, special attention was paid to the height-to-diameter ratio of the gasifier and the mixing ratio of oil sludge, which are known to have a significant impact on the flow field, temperature distribution and gasifier performances. According to the numerical results, the optimal height-to-diameter ratio and oil mixing ratio are about 2.4:1 and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, the carbon conversion rate can become as high as 98.55% with the hydrolysis rate reaching a value of 53.88%. The consumption of raw coal and oxygen is generally reduced, while the effective gas production is increased to 50.93 mol/%.