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Evaluation of wood chip gasification to produce reburn fuel for coal-fired boilers
Citation:
HALL, BOB E., C. W. LEE, N. D. HUTSON, W. YELVERTON, AND R. E. Maurer. Evaluation of wood chip gasification to produce reburn fuel for coal-fired boilers. In Proceedings, International Conference on Combustion, Incineration/Pyrolysis and Emission Control, Chiang Mai, THAILAND, December 16 - 19, 2008. Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Bangkok, Thailand, Paper C-014, (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
conference paper
Description:
Gasification/reburn testing with biomass and other wastes is of interest to both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Italian Ministry of the Environment & Territory (IMET). Gasification systems that use wastes as feedstock should provide a clean, efficient source of synthesis gas that has the combined benefit of producing energy or feedstock chemicals in an efficient manner while reducing the volume of wastes and minimizing their environmental impact, including reduction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon dioxide (C02). EPA has performed reburn tests with natural gas, oil, and pulverized coal in the past and both parties are interested in biomass and waste fuels due to the low cost of the fuel source and the impact on our landfills. EPA has a 4-million Btu/hr pilot-scale combustor that is capable of firing a variety of fuels. EPA will perform tests on this facility to evaluate the gasification of biomass to generate syngas for reburn to control NOx emissions while also displacing fossil fuels and reducing the associated C02 emissions. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of using wood chips as a feedstock (C02 neutral) in a gasifier to provide a NOx reducing reburn fuel for coal-fired boilers. A NOx reduction of 50% to 65% or greater is anticipated in existing boilers.
