Simulation of Biomass Plasma Gasification Process Using Aspen Plus Software

Plasma technology is one of the newest methods used for energy production and waste treatment. The addition of plasma technology to gasification has created a new method for waste management. However, the plasma gasification process is one of the complex thermochemical processes in which many reactions occur simultaneously, therefore it is very difficult to study the theory of this process. Therefore, having approximate and simulated results before launching and implementing the proper system of this process for biomass waste is essential in order to reduce operational costs and time. In order to study this complex process, a model based on the minimization of Gibbs free energy in Aspen Plus software environment has been developed. The created model, that is based on thermodynamic equilibrium, was evaluated with the results reported in scientific sources, which gained the necessary credibility to study important operating parameters such as temperature, equilibrium ratio and vapor ratio on syngas components. The effect of equivalence ratio on the components of the gas product was investigated and it was concluded that the parameter is very effective in the plasma gasification process, the increase of which causes the process to proceed rapidly towards combustion. The highest amount of hydrogen production for steam as a gasifying agent was obtained at a temperature of 900°C which is much more than the amount of hydrogen produced for the air. Also, the equivalence ratio showed the greatest effect on the value of the lower heating value of syngas compared to the temperature parameter. The effect of temperature was significant up to about 800°C and after this temperature, the effect decreased.