(319e) Pressurized Oxy-Blown Fluidized Bed Biomass Gasification System

SynGest Inc. intends to build and operate multiple mini-plants to make anhydrous ammonia fertilizer from biomass, and engaged Unitel to design its front-end gasification system to produce hydrogen-rich syngas from field dried corn cobs. The essential requirement stipulated by the customer had to do with minimizing the formation of methane, volatiles such as BTX, and tars. The HarvestGas process developed by Unitel for SynGest includes a pressurized three-stage progressively expanding bed that is fluidized with oxygen. Any methane, volatiles and tars exiting the disengagement section of the gasifier are reformed by means of a downstream oxy-blown autothermal reactor. A cyrogenic air separation unit provides the oxygen for the gasifier and the autothermal reformer, plus pure nitrogen for the ammonia synthesis section.