Sustainable energies at DIMSET/SCL

CAPENERGIES – DIMSET/SCL Meeting Marseille – May 23rd, 2008

Renewable Energy Research

at DIMSET/SCL

(Savona Combustion Laboratory,

University of Genoa)

http://proxy.sv.inge.unige.it/SCL/


DIMSET/SCL is “Joint Laboratory” with Ansaldo Energia

for the joint development and testing

of last generation, ultra-low emissions, gas-turbine burners

for large-power combined plants (in the hundreds of Megawatt).

As such, its researchers are directly responsible

for the continuously increasing

“fever” of our planet Earth.

However, who is responsible of a sickness,

has got a direct expertise about its causes,

and, thus, is also a good candidate

for finding and pursuing its cure …..

Do you agree?


Appropriate Technologies for Distributed Energy Generation

in a Sustainable Development Scenario


Sustainable energies at DIMSET/SCLThe scientific/technological scenario at DIMSET/SCL is quite variegate, ranging from fossil fuel combustion to renewables.

However the mission is uniquely defined: to take advantage of the “fossil” expertise in order to pursue a progressively more sustainable perspective.

The corner-stones upon which the strategy is rooted are:

• high-energy content, rapid-growth, wood-biomass agronomic cultivation• conversion of fossil-fueled burners to syngas- and bio-fueling• conversion from concentrated, electric generation to local poly-generation• natural-gas/biomass fueled combustors for Stirling-engines • wood-biomass combustion for boiler application• wood-biomass torrefaction and carbonisation technologies• wood-biomass/charcoal gasification technologies• co-combustion of pulverised coal and syngas from torrefied biomass


Sustainable Energy Development at DIMSET/SCL

How to manage the issue of the Earth fever

In the last 200 years, atmospheric concentration of CO2 has climbed from

270 ppmv to 383 ppmv. The trend is recently accelerating.

On the land, the most efficient CO2 capturing mechanism is very easily

traceable: it is located in the woods. The same mechanism features also a

quite interesting by-product: atmospheric release of pure O2.


…first of all, an updating on Earth fever….

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeIPCC Fourth Assessment Report: “AR4”(December 2007)http://www.ipcc.ch/

(and, interestingly, the very recent establishment of the ACCC: “Abrupt Climate Change Commission”)




Sustainable Energy Development at DIMSET/SCL

How to manage the issue of the Earth fever

The strategy has got a name: “zero-emissions local power co-generation”

The strategy is rooted upon the careful planning and the territorial “deployment” of modern agro-forest farms, pursuing agro-sylvicolture and “zero-net carbon release” energy production.


How to manage the issue of the Earth fever: some numbers (Europe)

tons of Carbon stored in biomass per hectare of woods: 50 to 200 (tC/ha)

yearly Carbon storage per hectare of woods: 0.80 to 3.5 (tC/y)

C emissions per person-year: 1.5 to 6 (tC/person-year)

C storage in woods / overall C emissions : 20% Bayern; 50% Sweden

additional C storage in soil substrate: 4.5 to 11 (tons per hectare)


An Earth rescuing strategy, immediately deployable

The C-mass capture numbers just seen can be dramatically improved by

an immediately deployable technique. Namely: planting new trees, of

“hardwood” type (rich in lignin content), characterised by rapid growth,

organised in so-called “consociated woods”.

Typical consociated trees: various types of Elm (Ulmus), Ash (Fraxinus),

Wild Cherry (Prunus), Myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera), Mahaleb (Prunus

mahaleb), etc.

Suggestion: cut out old trees, shift to hardwood species, avoid species

with low C-capture capability such as Red Spruce (Picea Excelsa) and

similar species.


A Vision from DIMSET/SCL

The above strategy is a well established operative know-how of a fewforest-tree breeders in Italy, highly experienced in many successfultrees-consociation plantations all over Italy.

The consociated wood-trees, at harvesting, show an average wood-yieldof about 140-200 metric tons/hectare/year, from 5 to 6 times morethan the usual poplar, plane-tree or willow-tree cultivations.

In addition, these latter would show heat values in the range of 2000-2200 kCal/kg whilst the former’s heat values are in the range of3000-3100 kCal/kg.

Being the consociation self fertilizing, no watering nor soil enrichment isrequired.


Rapid-growth consociated-trees forestry at Vado Ligure


Rapid-growth consociated-trees forestry at Vado Ligure


Wood-Biomass Torrefaction at DIMSET/SCL

Torrefaction is a feasible method for improving the properties of biomass as a fuel . It consists of a slow heating of biomass in an inert atmosphere to a maximum temperature of 300 °C. The treatment yields a solid uniform product with quite lower volume and moisture contents and sensibly higher heat values compared to those in the initial biomass.

It is as a predictable, flexible fuel with optimum combustion and transport economies. Due to the low moisture content of torrefied wood, the transport cost is lower and the quality as a fuel is higher. It is easily packaged, standardised and transported, and thus constitutes an efficient fuel.











Torrefied biomass can be blended with coal and co-fired in a Pulverized Coal Boiler.

The properties of torrefied biomass should lead to an improved operation in gasifiers for which the stability of the process is important.

The homogeneity and the seasonal regularity of torrefied wood makes it an appropriate substitute for charcoal. While having the same utilisation as charcoal, torrefied wood offers more efficient utilisation of the wood and hence reduction in wood consumption.

As a fuel it competes with the conventional sources of energy which often are imported.


Biomass Characterisation Laboratory - DIMSET/SCL(physical, analytical, thermo-chemical)


Wood Chipping at DIMSET/SCL


Wood Drier at DIMSET/SCL

Temperature: up to 105 °C. Humidity: down to 9 %


Wood Torrefactor at DIMSET/SCL


Wood-Biomass Carbonization at DIMSET/SCL


Biomass Gasification at DIMSET/SCL

Biomass gasification is basically a conversion of solid fuels (wood, wood-waste, agricultural residues, charcoal, etc.) into a combustible gas mixture normally called Producer Gas.

The process is typically used for various biomass materials and it involves partial combustion of such biomass.

Partial combustion process occurs when air supply (O2) is less than adequate for the combustion of biomass to be completed.

In the following slides, the available technologies for low-power co-generation (up to 300 kWel and 500 kWth) are presented.



Downdraft gasifier:“Tar burning

Char producing”

Technology provider: ANKUR Ltd.located near the ancient “Sama Jakat Naka”

Baroda-390008, Gujarat, Indiaemail: [email protected]

web: www.ankurscientific.com

Electrical efficiency: 24%Investment costs: 2000 euro/kWel





To a Gas EngineOr Gas Turbine

Conceptual Sequence of Processes from Biomass to End Products

Product GasCleaning Equipment



Fuel Parameters, Gasifier Performance, Product Gas, Slag, Emissions Monitoring

- Physico-chemical characterisation of fuel (woodchips and charcoal-woodchips mix)

- Air/Fuel Equivalence Ratio

●- Inner temperature profile (overall gasifier) - Pressure drop (@ sand filter)

●- Product gas temperature (@ gasifier outlet) - Water temperature (@ scrubbers)

●- Product gas flow rate (@ gasifier outlet) - Water pressure (@ scrubbers)

●- Inner gasifier pressure - Water flow rate (@ scrubbers)

●- “Clean” product gas chemical composition - Condensate chemical composition

●- Slag composition and mass flow rate - Condensate mass flow rate

●- Exhaust gas composition and mass flow rate (@ gas engine outlet)

●- Co-generation thermal power (@ overall equipment and gas engine)



HEARTH LOAD OPTIMISED FOR MINIMUM TAR CONTENT

Temperature Distributions for Varying Fuel Typologies

Wood@32% hu

Wood@25% hu

W@15% Coal

W@30% Coal

S-2

S-3

S-4

TC3

TC2

TC1

TC4


400 800 1200



HEARTH LOAD OPTIMISED FOR MAX GAS ENERGY

Temperature Distributions for Varying Fuel Typologies

Wood@32% hu

Wood@25% hu

W@15% Coal

W@30% Coal

S-1

S-2

S-3

S-4

TC3

TC2

TC1

TC4

S-1

Wood@32% hu

S-2

S-3

S-4

Wood@25% hu

Wood@15% Coal

Wood@30% Coal

TC3

TC2

TC1

TC4


900 1800


Product Gas Heat Values for Varying Fuel Typologies

TC1TC1

S-2

S-3

S-4

Wood@25% hu

Wood@15%Coal

Wood@30%Coal

Product Gas Heat Values

0

500

1000

1500

2000

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

Superficial Velocity (m/s)

Hea

t Val

ue H

i (kC

al/N

m3)

Serie1

Serie2

Serie3

S-2

S-2

S-2

Wood@25% hu

Wood@15% Coal

Wood@30% Coal



Product Gas Flow Rate for Varying Fuel Typologies

TC1TC1

Product Gas Flow Rate

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6


Syng

as F

low

Rat

e (N

m3/

s)

Serie1

Serie2

Serie3

S-2

S-3

S-4

Wood@25% hu

Wood@15% Coal

Wood@30%Coal

S-2



Gas Thermal Power for Varying Fuel Typologies

TC1TC1

Gas Energy Flow Rate (kCal/h)

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6


Gas

Ene

rgy

(kC

al/h

)

Serie1

Serie2

Serie3

S-2

S-3

S-4

Wood@25% hu

Wood@15% Coal

Wood@30% Coal



Electric Power (kW)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6


Elec

tric

Pow

er (k

W)

Serie1

Serie2

Serie3

Electric Power Generation for Varying Fuel Typologies

S-2

S-3

S-4

Wood@25% hu

Wood@15% Coal

Wood@30% Coal



Tar + Particulate in Gas

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6


Tar +

Par

ticul

ate

(mg/

m3)

Serie1

Serie2

Serie3

Tar and Particulate Levels for Varying Fuel Typologies

S-2

S-3

S-4

Wood@25% hu

Wood@15% Coal

Wood@30% Coal



Thank you for your attention

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Sustainable energies at DIMSET/SCL

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