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Renewable Energy Resources: Introduction & Economic Analysis of A Gasification Plant

This document provides an analysis of the economics of a biomass gasification plant. It describes the gasification process and the key steps involved. It then discusses the types of gasification technologies and provides cost details for an example gasification plant using a fixed-bed reactor with a capacity of 7,670 kg of coal per hour. The analysis finds the levelized cost of electricity generation to be $124/MWh and the gasification cost to be $1.322/Nm3, which is below the selling price of $1.48/Nm3. The net present value is calculated to be $3.27 million with an internal rate of return of 17.1% and payback period of 11 years, indicating

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
81 views36 pages

Renewable Energy Resources: Introduction & Economic Analysis of A Gasification Plant

This document provides an analysis of the economics of a biomass gasification plant. It describes the gasification process and the key steps involved. It then discusses the types of gasification technologies and provides cost details for an example gasification plant using a fixed-bed reactor with a capacity of 7,670 kg of coal per hour. The analysis finds the levelized cost of electricity generation to be $124/MWh and the gasification cost to be $1.322/Nm3, which is below the selling price of $1.48/Nm3. The net present value is calculated to be $3.27 million with an internal rate of return of 17.1% and payback period of 11 years, indicating

Uploaded by

faizan
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Renewable Energy

Resources

Introduction & Economic


Analysis of a Gasification Plant

By:
• M. Faizan Aslam
• Haseeb Afzal
• Ahmad Abdul Hanan
• M. Taimoor Rana
What is Gasification

 The biomass gasification process consists in the


conversion of a solid/liquid organic compound in
a gas/vapor phase and a solid phase . The gas
phase, usually called "syngas", has a high
heating power and can be used for power
generation or biofuel production

 The syngas produced is a gas mixture of carbon


monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4)
and carbon dioxide (CO2) as well as light
hydrocarbons, such as ethane and propane,
and heavier hydrocarbons, such as tars,
A Gasification Plant
Steps of Gasification

The main steps of the gasification process are:


 (1) Oxidation (exothermic stage).
 (2) Drying (endothermic stage).
 (3) Pyrolysis (endothermic stage).
 (4) Reduction (endothermic stage).
Steps of Gasification
Oxidation

 The oxidation is carried out in conditions of lack of


oxygen with respect to the stoichiometric ratio in order
to oxidize only part of the fuel.
 The main reactions that take place during the
oxidation phase are the following
C + O2 → CO2 H = –394 kJ/mol Char combustion
C + ½ O2 → CO H = –111 kJ/mol Partial oxidation
H2+½O2→H2O H = –242 kJ/mol Hydrogen combustion
 The main product of this step is the thermal energy
necessary for the whole process, while the combustion
product is a gas mixture of CO, CO2 and water.
Drying

 Drying consists in the evaporation of the moisture


contained in the feedstock. The amount of heat
required in this stage is proportional to the feedstock
moisture content.

 Generally, the heat required derives from the other


stages of the process. Drying can be considered
complete when a biomass temperature of 150 °C is
achieved, as discussed by Hamelinck and co-workers
Pyrolysis

 This phase consists in the thermochemical


decomposition of the matrix carbonaceous materials.

 The pyrolysis process can be schematized with the


following overall reaction :-

Biomass →← H2 + CO + CO2 + CH4 + H2O(g) + Tar


+ Char (Endothermic)
Reduction

 The reduction step involves all the products of the


preceding stages of pyrolysis and oxidation; the gas
mixture and the char react with each other resulting in
the formation of the final syngas.

 The typical temperature range in which gasification


processes have been developed at full scale is 800–
1100 °C, while in the processes that use oxygen for the
gasification step, the process temperatures are in the
range 500–1600 °C.
Gasifiable Biomass
Influence of Temperature
Process on the Syngas
Characteristics
Influence of Temperature
Process on the Syngas
Characteristics
Gasification Technologies

 The reactors used on an industrial scale to gasify a


pre-treated biomass, usually called gasifiers, essentially
differ from one another for:
(1) Mode of contact between the feed material and
the gasifying agent.
(2) Mode and rate of heat transfer.
(3) Residence time of the fed material into the
reaction zone.
Gasification Technologies

 The main reactors used in the biomass gasification


process are:
(1) Entrained flow reactor.
(2) Fixed bed.
(3) Fluidized bed.
(4) Rotary kiln reactor.
(5) Plasma reactor.
Entrained Flow Reactor

 In an entrained flow
reactor the feed fine fuel
(0.1–1 mm particles) and
the gasifying agent are
injected in co-current
(Fig. 6). The gasifier
operates at high
temperatures (1300–1500
°C) and pressures (25–30
bar) and water slurries or
dry feeds can be used
as raw material.
Fixed Bed Reactor

 The main technological


solutions based on the
fixed-bed reactor are
the updraft and the
downdraft reactor (Fig.
7a and b). In the updraft
reactor the solid moves
downwards with respect
to the gasification agent
and then the syngas
produced moves
upward
(countercurrent); while
in the downdraft
reactor, both the solid
and the gas are moved
downward (co-current)
Fixed bed reactor:
(a)updraft,(b)downdraft.
Fluidized Bed Reactor

 The bubbling fluidized bed


reactor is made of a bed of inert
granular material (sand) held in
a condition of fluidization where
the gasification agent is fuelled
bottom-up from the bed through
a distribution grid, with a velocity
between 1 and 3 m/s.
 In these conditions, the bed of
inert solid behaves like a liquid,
and is continuously stirred by the
presence of gas bubbles whose
mobility ensures uniform
conditions both of exchange of
matter and heat between the
solid and the gas.
Rotary Kiln Reactor

 Rotary kilns consist in a


slightly tilted (1%–3%)
cylindrical chamber that
slowly rotates around its
own axis. The gas–solid
contact takes place due
to the rotation of the drum
that, by continuously
stirring, exposes the new
solid surfaces to the
gasification agent.
Plasma Technology

 The plasma process consists


in an atomic degradation
of the matter; consequently
if it is applied to the
treatment of an organic
matrix (waste/biomass) and
in the presence of an
oxidizing agent
(air/oxygen/steam),
 The energy flow, supplied
from the plasma,
determines the rise in
temperature necessary for
the reactions that make up
the gasification process
Thermochemical Biomass
Processing and Products
Economic
Analysis
Operating Specifications
 The fuel was Bituminous Coal with calorific value of 6,150
kcal/kg.

 The coal consumption was 7,670 kg/hr for two-stage gasifier

 Gasifying unit works 356 days, 24 hours

 Return on Investment (ROR) is fixed at 11%.

 Installment period is 4 years with 4% annual interest.

 Electricity generation and syngas generation used the


same plant capacity factor, i.e. 90%.
Operating Costs
Cost Analysis
Equipment No of Units
Fixed-bed gasifier 3
Electrical 1 Tar Catcher 1
Cyclone 1
Heat Exchanger 1
Air Cooler 1
Indirect Cooler 1
Electrical Oil Catcher 1
Desulfurizer I 1
Desulfurizer II 1
Gas Engine 13
Gas Storage 1
Blower 3
ID Fan 1
Pump 13
Capital Cost
Capital Cost $

Purchase equipment 2,992,300

Equipment installation 30,800

Instrumentation & control 44,400

Electrical System 23,900

Piping cost 10,300

Engineering &Supervision 102,500

Construction expenses 122,200

Total Sum 3,326,400


Operating Cost

Operational Cost $

Raw materials 86,170

Operating labor 2,240

Operating supervision 1,900

Maintenance and repairs 6,030

Operating supplies 9,100

Administrative expenses 2,100

Total Sum 107,540


Cost Analysis

 Syngas Generation Cost =

Operating Cost
Capacity Factor×6,878,760kcal×8,760hr / year

 Syngas Generation Cost ($/Nm3) =1.322

 International Selling Price of Syngas ($/Nm3) =1.48


Cost Analysis

4000000
Return of Investment vs Number of Years
3000000

2000000

1000000

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
-1000000

-2000000

-3000000

-4000000
Cost of Electricity Generation

 Finally, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), defined


as the ratio between all the discounted costs and the
total amount of power production over the plant
lifetime, is 124 €/MWh.

 LCOE represents the NPV of the cost of electricity and


can be considered as the revenue that would cause
the project to break even.
Levelized Cost of Electricity
Cost Analysis

Economic Analysis $

Net Profit Per Year 225,500

Payout Time/year 14.75121951

Expected Life 30

Profit in Whole Life 6765000

Syngas Generation Cost ($/Nm3) 1.322

Selling Price of Syngas ($/Nm3) 1.48


Cost Analysis

NPV $32,730

IRR 17.10%

LCOE $/M Wh124

Payback Time 11 years


Duration for Profitability
Conclusion

 The net present value (NPV) of the investment,


calculated as the sum of all the discounted yearly
cash flows, is 3.27 M€. An internal rate of return (IRR) of
17.1% was obtained.

 IRR is the discount rate at which the NPV of the


investment is equal to zero. IRR is therefore a measure
of the financial risk and is used to evaluate the
profitability of the investment.
Sensitivity Analysis

The plant availability was varied from 5500 h/year to 7500


h/year. The investment proves to be profitable when the
plant is operated for not less than 6000 h/year, as shown
Sensitivity Analysis

The analysis shows that the technology is competitive only


if biomass price is lower than about 43 €/t. Higher prices
involve an increasing operating cost that makes the
investment non-profitable.

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