UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ

Gasification and Combustion research at the Renewable Energy programme

Jukka KonttinenUniversity of Jyväskylä

Renewable Energy programmewww.jyu.fi/renewableenergy

HighBio-seminar 3.11.2009

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ

Renewable Energy Education and Research programme

Programme concentrates on the multidisciplinary renewable energy sector

It is a collaboration between researchers and educators from – the Faculty of Mathematics and Science, – the Faculty of Social Sciences – the School of Business and Economics

EDUCATION: The Master’s Degree Programme in Renewable Energy – provides education in the renewable and distributed energy production – one objective is to promote the utilization of sustainable energy sources

RESEARCH: – development of distributed energy technologies and uses demonstration

projects for promoting public awareness of renewable energy technologies. – Projects involve municipalities, research institutes, companies and farms

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ

Research in Renewable Energy (RE) programme

Research both in basic and applied research areas

Most traditional: – Biogas production – Wood chemistry related with pulp and paper mills

RE-laboratory at Vaajakoski– Solar heat collectors– A micro-CHP device under construction (80 kWth )

NEW: Gasification

Demonstration projects on solar and wind energy and heat pumps

School of economics: Innovative business concepts– Biorefineries– Distribution network of biogas– Emission trade, taxation, energy efficiency and saving

Social sciences: local social effects of energy production

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Energy solution of ABC Viitasaari

Target: 97 % of the heat and electricity from renewable sources. Also demonstration of renewable energy technology to public.

Means of realization: Distributed heat and power production using biomass, solar and wind energy, and heat from Lake Keitele.

Funding: Ministry of Trade and Industry, Keskimaa Osk., City of Viitasaari, the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, State Provincial Office of Western Finland

63.07°N25.86°E

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Heating and cooling: Solar collectors and heat pump

Five south facing Wagner LB HT-AR 7,6 flat plate collectors:– Area: 38 m2

– Tilt angle: 35°– Zero-loss eff.: 83,2 %– Selective absorber (TiNOx);

covered by antireflective glass

290 kW Carrier heat pump: – Heating and cooling– Lake water for heat source– 7,5 km of tubing in lake

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄElectricity generation:

Photovoltaic (PV) array and 10 kW HAWT

154 semitransparent ASITHRU- 30-SG thin-film solar modules– Total area: 92,4 m2

– Nominal power: 4,2 kWp (DC)

– Tilt angle: 5°– Grid connected

WT 10P wind turbine– Rated power: 10 kWp– Rotor diameter: 5,4 m– Cut in speed: 3,5 m/s– Rated speed: 12 m/s– Grid connected

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ

Saarijärvi PV system demonstrates the feasibility of new PV technology in cold climate.HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) PV technology was chosen as it has shown top-level efficiencies in mass produced solar cells; possibly exceeding 20 %.

Cell and module efficiencies are 18,4 % and 16,5 %, respectively.

Source: SANYO/HIT Photovoltaic Module

Photo: Tuukka Rönkkö, 2005

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RE-laboratory at VaajakoskiSolar heat collectors

- TiNOx -coated panel - Vacuum tube collector- Plastic tube collector- Rubber-coated collector

Test location for 6-10 m2

collectors

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Power and heat directly from biomass in the scale of 50 kWth – 1 MWth ?

Stirling-techology: Energy is transferred from hot flue gases to the engine using liquid heat transfer medium– Efficiency with biomass close to 15 %

Key issue: the performance of the heat exhanger

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Mikro-CHP-device at the RE-laboratory

’

• ’

Stirling9 kWe

Pelletfurnace

Fuel power60 kW

Stack

1300C

Heat exchanger 1

Heat exch 2

mass flow...prim. air(with pellets)

mass flow meterssek+ tert air

T1

P1T2

T3

T4

T5

T6

T7

Flue.Gas.samplingO2, CO,particles

P2

Flue gas cleaning

Fan

T= temperature, P= pressure to PC control system!

Furnace:height. 1.3 m,i.d.0.5 m

flue gas recirculation +sek. & tert. air preheating

District heat

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Research in gasification Author’s experience

- 1989-1995 Tampella Power Inc. and Enviropower Inc.o 15 MWth pilot plant testing of coal gasification and gas cleanup

Successful demonstration of the regenerative sulfur removal processo 20 MWth pilot plant testing of woody biomass gasification and gas cleanup o Engineering work for commercial-scale IGCC demonstration projects (USA: Clean Coal program,

Finland: Summan voima ) - 1996-2006 Carbona Inc., (1999-2006 as consultant)

o 20 MWth pilot plant testing, result analysis and reporting of alfalfa gasificationo Engineering work for gasification plants (IGCC, Skive plant). Developing computer models and

design tools.- 1999-2006 Åbo Akademi University

o 2002-2004 research program called “Peruskaasu”

Developing a gasification reactor simulation tool called “Carbon conversion predictor”

Estimating the fate of heavy metals in gasification and gas cleanup processes

Fate of fuel nitrogen in combustion of product gas- 2007-2008 Carbona Inc.

o UPM/Andritz/Carbona BTL-development project

Gasification and gas cleanup engineering calculations

Participation in the laboratory- and pilot-scale test run program in USAo Engineering calculations and data estimation for commercial gasification plants (Skive, lime kiln

gasification)o Participation in the board of the gasification R&D project for syngas production and cleanup,

coordinated by VTT- 2009 – Professor at the University of Jyväskylä

o Participation in the designed national technology program “Combustion plants” in the field of fuel thermal conversion (CLEEN Oy)

o On-going research on gasification reactivity of solid fuels (Poster in BIOENERGY2009 conference).

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G

GBiomass Steam turbine

Processheat

Dryer

Flue gas

Clean-up

Combustion chamber

Gasifier

Design parameters for a future plant

Wood inputPower outputHeat production

Total efficiencyPower-to-heat ratio

150 MW60 MW70 MW

87%0.86

13 €/MWh7.5 €/MWh6500 h/a20 years 5%

Assuming: Price for heat Fuel cost Full-load operating time Economic lifetime Interest rate

Specific investment 550 €/kW fuelPower production cost 27 €/MWh

Ash

Steam

Air

Gas turbine

Biomass-based IGCC plant

Source: VTT (Kurkela et al., 2003)

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Source: Carbona Oy (2008)

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BtL production – one of the Finnish demonstration projects

UPM-Kymmene Oy, Andritz Oy and Carbona Oy– The production of syngas, gas cleaning and conditioning for F.-T.-

application– Testing program (5 MWth ) started near Chicago (Gas Institute of

Technology) in USA in spring 2007– The design and negotiations about a commercial-scale

biorefinery/BtL production plant are ongoing. Two pulp and paper mill sites in Finland have been taken in consideration:

• Kymi • Rauma

Other demonstration projects– Stora Enso & Neste Oil & Foster Wheeler & VTT– Vapo/VapOil– Choren– Chemrec

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BIOFUEL GASIFIER FEEDSTOCK REACTIVITY –

EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES AND CREATING PREDICTION MODELS

In the project, a method is generated to predict the gasification behavior of biomass fuels in a gasification reactor– The method should be based on reasonable cost and effort

The results of the project will help to understand the differences in the gasification behavior of biomass fuels. – An essential hypothesis in the project is that the decrease of the

catalysis properties of biomass ash will decrease biomass char gasification reactivity and thus the final carbon conversion

Partners University of Jyväskylä, VTT and Åbo Akademi University

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Research in gasification ”CARBON CONVERSION PREDICTOR”

FuelSamples

• Ultimate Analysis• Proximate Analysis • Char Reactivity (TGA)

CarbonConversion

FBG

• Pressure• Temperature

• Bed Volume

Kinetic Parameters for Char

• H2O• O2• N2• Volatiles (C, H, O) E

quilib

rium

com

posi

tion

COCO2H2H2O

**

**

Feeds:• Air• Steam• Fuels

Char

2H3

b1O2H

3

f1

O2Hf1OHC

Pkk

Pkk

1

PkR

2

CO3

b12CO

3

f1

2COf1COC

PkkP

kk1

PkR

2

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BIOFUEL GASIFIER FEEDSTOCK REACTIVITY –

EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES AND CREATING PREDICTION MODELS

There are several subprojects with different objectives:

a) Tests with thermogravimetric analyzer to generate the experimental data. - Several biomass fuels with industrial interest will be selected- Samples will be taken during testing from the original fuels and from their leftovers after testing. - Also some tests will be interrupted to take samples from partly reacted materials

b) SEM analysis and chemical fractionation of the samples taken in subproject a)

c) Determination of kinectic parameters

d) The addition of kinetic parameters as parts of the Carbon Conversion Predictor. Modeling efforts with the predictor to simulate the behavior of the fuels in a large-scale fluidized bed gasifier

e) Gasification experiments (2-4 h) with 3 selected fuels in a bench-scale gasifier. The comparison of results with the lab-scale results and with the prections of the Carbon Conversion Predictor.

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CONCLUSIONS

Thermal conversion of biomass by combustion or gasification – potential for many applications

– Power– Heat– Value-added chemicals– Liquid transport fuels

Industrial-scale applications require still demonstration– Biomass-based IGCC– Biorefinery in connection with pulp and paper mill the most important development

project by Finnish forest industry companies– Some success in CHP in the scale of distributed energy production (such as in Skive,

Denmark)

Biomass gasification and combustion can give new opportunities in small-scale applications

– Micro-CHP, woody fuels– hybrides (solar and/or windpower in integrated operation)

University of Jyväskylä, Renewable energy programme– Micro-CHP device in Vaajakoski RE-laboratory, wood pellet combustion– ”Carbon conversion predictor” - model development for fluidized bed gasifiers

} BIOREFINERY} CHP