Modeling Pyrolysis in a High Capacity Thermobalance

Frederic Marias (1) , Stephanie Delage Santacreu (2)

1 LATEP - Laboratoire de Génie Thermique Énergétique et Procédés (EA1932)
2 LMAP - Laboratoire de Mathématiques et de leurs Applications [Pau]

This work is devoted to the 2D modeling of the transient pyrolysis of biomass in a fixed bed. The model mainly relies on the concept of homogenization of the porous media using the volume averaging theory. This model includes heat and mass transfers in an environment where pyrolysis reactions contribute to the modification of the properties of the media under investigation. This model allows predicting the temperature, moisture, condensable and permanent gases as well as fresh or pyrolysed biomass profiles within the bed. It also allows characterizing the influence of the heat of the pyrolysis reaction on the overall process. This general model is applied to describe pyrolysis of pine wood particles which are processed in a high capacity thermobalance. A comparison of the experimental and numerical evolution of the mass of the sample during the operation is performed showing very good agreement. The model is then used to get insights into the weight of the different phenomenon involved in the process on the overall operation.

Domaines: Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Génie des procédés

Frederic Marias, Stephanie Delage Santacreu. Modeling Pyrolysis in a High Capacity Thermobalance. 5th International Conference on Engineering for Waste and Biomass Valorisation, Aug 2014, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ⟨hal-00996244⟩