MODELING A SUPERCRITICAL REACTOR FOR THE DEGRADATION OF TAR-WATER FROM BIOMASS GASIFICATION

In this study a transport model is formulated for a pilot scale reactor applied for the supercritical gasification of tar-water mixtures generated from the gas cleaning stage of an industrial plant based on fixed-bed updraft gasification of woodchips. The mathematical description takes into account the chief processes of heat and mass transfer for a one-dimensional steady reactor coupled with finite-rate kinetics. Experimental validation is made in terms of the temperature profiles and total organic carbon (TOC) conversion. Furthermore, a parametric analysis is presented in relation to the chief operating and design parameters.