Modeling, Design, and Verification of a Burner for Partial Oxidation of Biomass Product Gas in an Autothermal Reformer

Abstract

There is global interest in utilization of biomass energy through thermochemical processes such as gasification. The crucial step in many gasification processes is the upgrading of the produced gas, removing for example problematic components, such as tar, preferably with a flexible solution that adapts to several feedstock compositions, gasification technologies, and conditions. The present work focuses on the underpinning modeling for the development of a burner for partial combustion in an autothermal tar reformer. A design and modeling study considering the effect of the burner geometry and inlet locations on flame stability was performed. The model and the constructed burner is verified and validated against experimental results, displaying a successful operation of the combustion zone, verifying and validating the developed model against specific requirements. The verified model was finally applied for an extended process window.