CIRCULATING FLUIDISED

BED GASIFIER BIVKIN

INTRODUCTION
BIVKIN is an atmospheric circulating fluidised bed gasifier (CFB) of 500 kWth (max. 100
kg wood/hr). Tests with a specific fuel (moisture content, morphology, size, composition)
give answers on questions like:
what is the tar content in the gas?
what is the distribution of impurities (S, N, Cl, K) over gas and ash?
is the reactivity of the fuel high enough or in other words is the fuel conversion high
enough?
can the fuel be fed without problems?
can the ash be used as filler in construction material or as fertiliser?
what is the effect of additives on the tar emission or ash agglomeration?
Supportive knowledge has been developed and a calculation model has been made to
extrapolate the measured gasification parameters to full-scale size plants.

ECN
P.O. Box 1
1755 ZG Petten
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 224 564594
Fax: +31 224 563487
E-mail: biomass@ecn.nl
WWW: http://www.ecn.nl/

2nd cyclone
flare

1st cyclone

gas cleaning
section
gasifier
riser
fuel bunkers
gas engine
60 kW e

sec. air

rotary valves

20 cm
h=6m

seal
electricity
ash

feeding screw
50-100 kg/h

kW

380 10%

heat loss

% of LHV fuel

8% 6%

ER

0.27 10%

carbon conversion

wt%

90% 2%

cold gas efficiency

63% 3%

tar concentration

g/m n dry

CH4-yield

wt% of C in fuel 8.2% 6%

7.3 20%

NH3-yield

wt% of N in fuel 52% 9%

LHV fuel gas

MJ/mn3 wet

5.2 7%

Energy balance demolition wood gasification

100%
vol% dry gas
CO
14.2
H2
11.9
CO2
16.4
CH4
4.0
C2H4 + C2H6
1.5
BTX
0.4
NH3
0.2
N2
50.9
light tars [mg/nm3]
7000
heavy tars [mg/nm3]
1300
HHV [MJ/nm3 dry]
6.5

82%
80%
65%
60%

40%
26%

22%

23%

20%

14%

10%
4%
tar

C6

C2

CH4

H2

CO

0%
cold gas

RESULTS
Tests have been performed with wood (willow,
beech, meranti, demolition wood, bark, composted wood, park waste wood, preserved
wood, particle board) and other types of biomass (grass, straw, chicken litter, sewage sludge, paper residue sludge, sunflower husks).
The figures show some of the test results.

fuel input (LHV)

hot gas

The following components in the fuel gas are

measured: H2, CO, CH4, CO2, H2O, ethene, ethane, benzene, toluene, xylene, HCl, NH 3, H2S,
tar, dust and soot.

Main parameters (average values and standard

deviation as fraction of average) of the BIVKIN
operated at 820- 870C with dry biomass fuel

demolition
wood

SPECIFICATIONS
The CFB gasifier consists of:
several feeding systems with the possibility
to mix fuels
reactor (height 6 m, 0.2 m) with air and/or
oxygen and/or steam supply
circulation loop with cyclone and loop-seal
second cyclone for dust removal
gas cleaning units and connection with gas
engine

N2 or air
10-20 m3n/h

energy [%]

air and/or oxygen

and/or steam

energy contribution in fuel gas

REFERENCES
- A.van der Drift and J.W.Vermeulen: Ten residual biomass fuels for circulating fluidized bed
gasification. Biomass and Bioenergy 20 (1) 45-56 (2001).
- A.van der Drift and J.van Doorn: Effect of type of fuel, moisture content and particle size on
the carbon conversion and fuel gas quality for circulating fluidized bed gasification of
biomass. In: First World Conference and Exhibition on Biomass for Energy and Industry, 5-9
June 2000, Sevilla, Spain (2000).
- A.van der Drift and J.van Doorn: Effect of fuel size and process temperature on fuel gas quality from CFB gasification of biomass. In: Progress in Thermochemical Biomass Conversion,
17-22 September 2000, Tyrol, Austria (2000).
- www.ecn.nl/biomass/bivkin
- www.ecn.nl/biomass/report/new
- www.vergassing.nl
ECN-B-99-024