Temperature Profile of a Biomass Gasification Power System

Abstract

Abstract Biomass has been used as a renewable energy resource for years. The coconut tree, considered woody biomass, grows in the tropics and is abundant in the Philippines. To determine the performance of the biomass gasification power system (BGPS) using torrefied coconut shells (TCS), a 1.8-kVA BGPS was designed, fabricated, and tested. The TCS with a calorific value of 34.37 MJ/kg was used as feedstock to profile the temperature of BGPS. The temperature increased from the feeder at 79 °C to a maximum of 904 °C at the combustion zone and goes down to 779 °C at the reduction zone, which causes the breaking of the chemical structure of the torrefied coconut shells to release carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2) and other contaminants that form part the producer gas. The temperature at the inlet of the internal combustion engine (ICE) generating set had reduced to 37 °C. To improve the performance of the BGPS, it is recommended to review and enhance the cooler’s design to lessen the temperature of the producer gas to at least 25 °C.