Liquid fuels produced from abundant renewable biomass resources are receiving more attention in recent years as they can be used to substitute the traditional fossil fuels to mitigate serious environmental problems. However, biomass as a feedstock requires significant refinement, such as thermochemical conversion and catalytic upgrading prior to application as a liquid fuel. In this study, we will present our recent efforts to model and simulate the biomass pyrolysis vapor phase upgrading (VPU) reactors from small lab scale to large pilot scale within the Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC), a research collaboration of national laboratories for the U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office. Computational fluid dynamics modeling has been employed for better understanding the hydrodynamics, residence time distribution, heat transfer and chemical reaction in the VPU process, which provides detail information in the reactors and guidance for process design, optimization, scale-up, and integration. First, we will present the numerical simulations of a small-scale spouted bed reactor, which is used to verify the NREL VPU kinetics. Then, we will introduce the experimental and numerical investigations on the VPU catalysts fluidization hydrodynamics and segregation phenomenon in a lab scale bubbling fluidized bed. After that, we will report the numerical simulations of hydrodynamics, RTD, heat transfer and chemical reaction in a pilot scale circulating fluidized bed VPU system. Detail comparison with experimental data will also be reported.<br/>

Computational fluid dynamic modeling and simulation of biomass pyrolysis vapor-phase upgrading process at reactor scale

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.