Influence of the kinetic scheme and heat balance on the modelling of biomass combustion in a conical spouted bed

A study has been carried out on the modelling of the combustion of six lignocellulosic biomasses in a conical spouted bed, for a balanced representation of the most abundant biomass sources to be used for energy production. Two models based on different approaches have been compared. One of them requires knowledge of the polymeric composition of the biomass and the other one needs the ultimate analysis composition (fixed carbon, volatile matter and ash content). Given that the real combustion temperature is not known, a study has been carried out on the suitability of three temperatures for the calculation of the kinetic constants, namely, the gas stream temperature, the particle temperature and the gas-solid interphase temperature. The evolution of particle temperature with time has been analysed for the lignocellulosic biomasses assayed, which allowed ascertaining the reaction temperature and the model of best fit for the design of a combustor based on the conical spouted bed technology. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.