(45f) Thermodynamic and Kinetic Analysis of the Thermal Partial Oxidation Process of Ethanol

The consumption of fossil fuel is continuously growing and fuel prices are sharply fluctuating. In addition, because of the exhaust gases associated with the use of such fuels, which threaten the environment and health of people, and due to the limited resources which may approach their end, new alternatives in the field of power supply are needed that make less use of the world's fossil energy resources and convert energy in a cleaner way.

Ethanol, as a biofuel, is a clear, colorless alcohol fuel produced from sugars found in grains, such as corn, sorghum, and wheat, as well as potato skins, rice, and yard clippings. The use of ethanol as a source for syngas can not only reduce the emissions to the atmosphere and the dependency on fossil fuels, but also increase the efficiency of the energy utilization process

In this work thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of the Thermal partial oxidation of ethanol with the aim of producing syngas ( a CO - H2 rich mixtures) is performed. Equilibrium and kinetic calculations are performed in order to find the limiting parameters for the thermal partial oxidation. The reaction temperature, the reformat composition and the reforming efficiency are estimated for different ethanol-air mixture temperatures and compositions (different air ratio (ë) values. Additionally, the reaction progress with time, the equilibrium time and the laminar flame speed is also predicted in the kinetic analysis part of this work.