Types of gasifiers

Four types of gasifiers are currently available for commercial

use:
• Counter-current fixed bed
• Co-current fixed bed
• Entrained flow
• Fluidized bed
Fixed bed gasifiers
 The counter-current or co current fixed bed
gasifiers consists of a fixed bed of
carbonaceous fuel (e.g. coal or biomass)
through which the "gasification agent"
(steam, oxygen and/or air) flows in counter-
current or co-current configuration.

 The ash is either removed dry or as a slag.

 Sized coal 3 – 25 mm required

 Fixed bed gasifiers Operation
 operate at moderate pressures (25-30 atm).

 Feedstock in the form of large coal particles are loaded into the top of the refractory-lined gasifier vessel
and move slowly downward through the bed, while reacting with high oxygen content gas introduced at
the bottom of the gasifier that is flowing counter-currently upward in the gasifier.

 Reactions within the gasifier occur in different "zones".

• In the "drying zone" at the top of the gasifier, the entering coal is heated and dried, while cooling the
product gas before it leaves the reactor. The coal is further heated and devolatized by the higher
temperature gas as it descends through the "carbonization zone". In the next zone, the "gasification
zone", the devolatized coal is gasified by reaction with steam and carbon dioxide. Near the bottom of the
gasifier, in the "combustion zone", which operates at the highest temperature, oxygen reacts with the
remaining char
Moisture content of the fuel is the main factor which determines the
discharge gas temperature. Lignite, which has very high moisture content,
produces raw gas at a temperature of around 600°F.

Lower moisture bituminous coal produces gas temperatures of over

1000°F.

Typically, the product gas leaving the gasifier is quenched by direct

contact with recycle water to condense and remove tars and oils. After
quench, heat can be recovered from the gas by generation of low
pressure steam
 Entrained flow gasifier
• In the entrained flow gasifier a dry pulverized solid, an atomized
liquid fuel or a fuel slurry is gasified with oxygen (much less
frequent: air) in co-current flow.

• The gasification reactions take place in a dense cloud of very fine

particles.

• Most coals are suitable for this type of gasifier because of the high
operating temperatures and because the coal particles are well
separated from one another.

• Feed : Pulverized coal < 0.1 mm

• Operating Temperature: 1600 – 1800 0C

• Operating Pressure : 35-40 atm

• High conversion

• Well suited for Power generation

 Entrained flow gasifiers operation
• In entrained-flow gasifiers, fine coal feed and the oxidant and/or steam are fed co-currently to the gasifier. This results
in the oxidant and steam surrounding or entraining the coal particles as they flow through the gasifier in a dense
cloud.

• Entrained-flow gasifiers operate at high temperature and pressure— and extremely turbulent flow—which causes
rapid feed conversion and allows high throughput.

• The gasification reactions occur at a very high rate (typical residence time is on the order of few seconds), with high
carbon conversion efficiencies (98-99.5%). The tar, oil, phenols, and other liquids produced from devolatization of coal
inside the gasifier are decomposed into hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO) and small amounts of light
hydrocarbon gases.

• Entrained-flow gasifiers have the ability to handle practically any coal feedstock and produce a clean, tar-free syngas.
Given the high operating temperatures, gasifiers of this type melt the coal ash into inert slag.
Fluidized bed gasifiers
 commercialized in 1926

 operates near atmospheric pressure

 Coal is ground to 0- 8 mm

 major issue with this gasifier is that the entrained ash contains a significant quantity of unreacted carbon.
 Operating Temperature: 800 - 1100 0C
 Operating Pressure : Atmospheric
 Well suited for synthesis of Hydrogen, Ammonia or Methanol.
Fluidized bed gasifiers Operation
• Fluidized-bed gasifiers suspend feedstock particles in an oxygen-rich gas so the resulting bed within the
gasifier acts as a fluid. These gasifiers employ back-mixing, and efficiently mix feed coal particles with coal
particles already undergoing gasification.
• To sustain fluidization, or suspension of coal particles within the gasifier, coal of small particles sizes (<6mm) is
commonly used.

• Coal enters at the side of the reactor, while steam and oxidant enter near the bottom with enough velocity to
fully suspend or fluidize the reactor bed. Due to the thorough mixing within the gasifier, a constant temperature
is sustained in the reactor bed. The gasifiers normally operate at moderately high temperature to achieve an
acceptable carbon conversion rate (e.g., 90-95%) and to decompose most of the tar, oils, phenols, and other
liquid byproducts.
• However, the operating temperatures are usually less than the ash fusion temperature so as to avoid clinker
formation.
• Some char particles are entrained in the raw syngas as its leaves the top of the gasifier, but are recovered and
recycled back to the reactor via a cyclone. Ash particles, removed below the bed, give up heat to the incoming
steam and oxygen gas. At startup, the bed is heated externally before the feedstock is introduced.
Conclusions
• Gasification is the cleanest, most flexible and reliable way of using fossil-fuels. It can convert low-
value residuals into high value products, such as chemicals and fertilizers, substitute natural gas,
transportation fuels, electric power, steam, and hydrogen.

• Gasification offers opportunities to use domestic resources to displace high-cost imported

petroleum and natural gas from politically unstable regions of the world. And, finally,

Gasification is redefining clean energy.