Gasification
Gasification is the use of heat to transform solid biomass or other carbonaceous solids into a synthetic “natural-gas-like” flammable fuel. Biomass includes a wide range of materials, including energy crops such as switch grass and miscanthus, agricultural sources such as corn husks, wood pellets, lumbering and timbering wastes, yard wastes, construction and demolition waste, and biosolids (treated sewage sludge). Gasification can be used to convert biomass into syngas.
Biomass usually contains a high percentage of moisture (along with carbohydrates and sugars). The presence of high levels of moisture in the biomass reduces the temperature inside the gasifier, which then reduces the efficiency of the gasifier. Therefore, many biomass gasification technologies require that the biomass be dried to reduce the moisture content prior to feeding into the gasifier.
Biomass can come in a range of sizes. In many biomass gasification systems, the biomass must be processed to a uniform size or shape to feed into the gasifier at a consistent rate and to ensure that as much of the biomass is gasified as possible.
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Here’s some approximations and rules of thumb for understanding the relationships between common liquid fuels and woodgas, and the HP, KWe or MPG that results from each. There are more complicated ways to derive these numbers, but these rules of thumb are more than close enough to average the many variables of a gasifier-engine system. These rules of thumb will get you within 10% or so of the “correct” answer.
Relating Gasoline/Diesel to Woodgas to HP to KWe in your vehicle or genset
- 3.5 liters of gasoline or diesel will make about 15HP of shaft power for one hour. If driving a genset, this will produce about 10 kWh of electricity.
- 3.5 liters of gasoline or diesel is equivalent to about 10 kgs of biomass through a gasifier.
- 1 ton of biomass to power through a gasifier-engine system is equal to about 300 liters of liquid fuel in a genset, or 1 MWh of electricity.
Thus, the main rule of thumb (equivalencies) to remember:
- 1 kg of biomass ≅ 2 m3 woodgas ≅ 1 HP-hour ≅ 0.75 kWh electrical
How much woodgas do I need to make ‘X’ amount of HP?
- 1HP = 2 cubic meters of woodgas per hour
- 5HP = 10 m3/h
- 10HP = 20 m3/h
- 50HP = 100 m3/h
- 100HP = 200 m3/h