The conversion of the biomass chemical energy into other energy forms may be processed in several ways. Among them, gasification uses reactors to convert biomass into combustible gas. For dimensioning the gasifier and its parts, several factors should be taken into account, from fuel characteristics to the real needs of the released thermal energy. Specifically to grate dimensioning, indices such as thermal tension and the reaction rate are used as reference. This study was conducted to determine the reaction rate and the thermal tension of a flat grate used in a gasifier, and to compare these values with the recommended dimensions for furnace grates. A small scale downdraft biomass gasifier coupled with a gas combustion chamber was used in the experiment. Eucalyptus firewood logs of 5-8 cm diameter and 10-20 cm length were used as fuel. It was concluded that the calculated indices of thermal tension and reaction rate can be used as parameters for grate design in fixed-bed gasifier.
Gasifier; grates; combustion rate
