Análisis térmico del gasificador tipo downdraft de la Facultad de Mecánica

Abstract

The Downdraft gasifier of Mechanics Faculty did not have instrumentation to evaluate thermodynamic parameters at various stages of gas production. Therefore, it was proposed to implement a system to collect thermal data in real-time to analyze the operating parameters of the downdraft gasifier during the production of lean gas that was carried out during each stage. The focus was on evaluating the performance and efficiency of the gasification process by burning eucalyptus biomass as chips and pieces of it. The study examined the temperatures reached in the different zones of the gasifier, such as the loading zone, the pyrolysis zone, and the gasification zone, to understand thermal phenomena better and optimize the system design. Key variables such as airflow velocity, syngas composition, and coal quality were also analyzed. The main objective of the thermal analysis was to improve energy efficiency and fuel gas production, contributing to sustainable development and the search for cleaner and renewable energy sources. This focus on the Downdraft gasifier in the Faculty of Mechanics highlighted the importance of research into advanced technologies for converting biomass to energy. The results obtained, as well as the upper and lower heating value in the first gasification, were PCS:1139.97 KJ/m3; PCI:1144.95 KJ/m3, second gasification: PCS:1197.19 KJ/m3; PCI:1099.12 KJ/m3 and third gasification: PCS:1160.19 KJ/m3; PCI:1065.07 KJ/m3. It is concluded that a better mass and energy balance was obtained in the first gasification, a mixed compound of eucalyptus chips and pieces, since there was no significant loss of energy during the process and the mass introduced was constant.