Steam reforming of tar studied in bench-scale experiments and pilot-scale tests with simulations

The generation of tar is the major draw back of biomass gasification, which is a barrier on the road to clean energy. Steam reforming is a promising method to eliminate tar in the biomass gasification process, which have been shown in our pilot tests. In this paper, the steam reforming of tar is investigated in a bench-scale horizontal tube reactor with Chemkin simulation, and in a pilot-scale tar reformer with CFD simulation. A set of simplified reaction paths and kinetic data is developed from bench-scale work, which is applied in the CFD simulation to predict the detail process in pilot-scale tar reformer. The prediction of CFD simulation is in a good agreement with the data from pilot test. The results revealed that the tar in the reformer is mainly eliminated by the steam, not the oxygen injected in the reformer, and the reaction place is within the first 1 m of the length of the reformer, where the intermediates of the reaction is decomposed quickly. Our CFD simulation indicated that the design of reformer can be optimized to a much shorter length, saving investment and heat. Our work demonstrated a complete cycle from the study of mechanism in bench-scale work to the investigation in pilot scale.

Automated summary

Steam reforming is an effective method to eliminate tar in the biomass gasification process, as shown in our pilot tests.