Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.87, No.2, 169-176, 2009
SIMULATION OF COAL GASIFICATION IN A PRESSURIZED SPOUT-FLUID BED GASIFIER
Based on an Eulerian-Eulerian method, a three-dimensional kinetic model involving mass transfer, momentum transfer, heat transfer, and chemical reaction is developed to simulate the process of coal gasification in a 2 MWth, pressurized spout-fluid bed of 450 mm in diameter with bed pressure up to 0.5 MPa. The effects of operating pressure and bed temperature on coal gasification are investigated. The high operating pressure is beneficial to coal gasification due to the fact that the fluidization in the reactor becomes better. On one hand, a higher bed temperature can accelerate the rate of reaction. On the other hand, more air will be taken in the gasifier to keep the higher bed temperature which will consume part of combustible gases produced by coal pyrolysis or gasification. Experimental verification was carried out in a 2 MWth, thermal input pressurized spout-fluid bed under the same operating condition. The comparison of calculation results with experimental results shows that most of the calculation errors are within the range of 15%.