Biomass gasification has attracted significant interests as it generates less toxic emissions and gas phase combustion of syngas is found to be more efficient and easier to control than solid fuel combustion. In this work, we have developed a hybrid shrinking-core particle model to simulate fixed-bed biomass gasification process with fuel particle size more than one centimetre. Both intra-particle transfer and peripheral fragmentation phenomenon have been incorporated in this model. Species, temperature and pressure distributions inside the particle are taken into account and particulate matter (PM) emission is considered in the mass balance of solid phase, which is assumed to be the mass loss of solid phase due to peripheral fragmentation. Experiments have been conducted to determine the rate of peripheral fragmentation based on PM emission rate. In addition, the model predictions are also compared with the results of the non-fragmentation shrinking-core model.
Dr. Chi-Hwa Wang is currently a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He had the following joint appointments in his service to the same university (i) Assistant Dean for Research at the Faculty of Engineering, NUS (2006-2008), and (ii) Faculty Fellow, Singapore-MIT Alliance (2001-2006). He received his B.S. degree (Chemical Engineering) from National Taiwan University, M.S. degree (Biomedical Engineering) from Johns Hopkins University, M.A. and PhD degrees (both in Chemical Engineering) from Princeton University, respectively. He was holding several visiting appointments throughout different stages of his career: Kyoto University (2003, JSPS Visiting Fellow), Cambridge University (2004, Sabbatical Academic Visitor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2004, Visiting Associate Professor). His current research interests include particle technology, biomass gasification, and waste to energy and resource. He is on the editorial boards of Journal of Controlled Release (2009 - present), Powder Technology (2008 - present), Advanced Powder Technology (2009 – present, also Executive Editor, 2009-2012), and Applied Energy (2017- present). He is currently an Executive Editor for Chemical Engineering Science (Elsevier, 2013 - present). Chi-Hwa is the recipient of a few recent awards such as AIChE Shining Star Award 2016, Teaching Commendation List, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 2017. WSSET (World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies) Award 2017, Bologna, Italy, 2017, and AIChE Shell Thomas Baron Award, Pittsburgh, USA, 2018.
