Process Modelling and Analysis of Producer Gas Reactors for Biomass-Derived Gas Quality Enhancement

This work presents process modelling and parametric analysis of a dual-reactor system, employed for syngas quality enhancement. Producer gas derived from steam-based biomass gasification is sequentially treated in high-temperature and low-temperature reactors (HTR and LTR, respectively), optimally utilizing water gas shift (WGS) and steam methane reforming (SMR) reactions in them. The effects of parameters like HTR and LTR temperature and rate of steam flow on the composition of syngas (wet and dry) have been analysed. The optimum operating temperatures of HTR and LTR have also been obtained. Thermodynamics and kinetics of the associated chemical reactions are considered in the design of the reactors. The optimum performance is obtained at 800–900 °C temperature of HTR and 200–250 °C temperature of LTR. The study reveals that dual-reactor arrangement can yield hydrogen-rich syngas (more than 63%), suitable for clean gas appliances like gas engines and fuel cells.