Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) production and gasification in a pilot plant integrated with an Otto cycle ICE through Aspen plus™ modelling: Thermodynamic and economic viability

Albany Milena Lozano Násner; Electo Eduardo Silva Lora; José Carlos Escobar Palacio; Mateus Henrique Rocha; Julian Camilo Restrepo; Osvaldo José Venturini; Albert Ratner

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2017.08.006

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) production and gasification in a pilot plant integrated with an Otto cycle ICE through Aspen plus™ modelling: Thermodynamic and economic viability

Waste Manag. 2017 Nov:69:187-201. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.08.006. Epub 2017 Aug 7.

Authors

Albany Milena Lozano Násner¹, Electo Eduardo Silva Lora², José Carlos Escobar Palacio³, Mateus Henrique Rocha⁴, Julian Camilo Restrepo⁵, Osvaldo José Venturini⁶, Albert Ratner⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, The St. Thomas University Tunja, St. 19 #11-64, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia. Electronic address: mlnasner@gmail.com.
² NEST - Excellence Group in Thermal Power and Distributed Generation, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Itajubá, Av. BPS 1303, Itajubá, Minas Gerais State CEP: 37500-903, Brazil. Electronic address: electo@unifei.edu.br.
³ NEST - Excellence Group in Thermal Power and Distributed Generation, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Itajubá, Av. BPS 1303, Itajubá, Minas Gerais State CEP: 37500-903, Brazil. Electronic address: jocescobar@gmail.com.
⁴ NEST - Excellence Group in Thermal Power and Distributed Generation, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Itajubá, Av. BPS 1303, Itajubá, Minas Gerais State CEP: 37500-903, Brazil. Electronic address: mateus0@yahoo.com.br.
⁵ NEST - Excellence Group in Thermal Power and Distributed Generation, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Itajubá, Av. BPS 1303, Itajubá, Minas Gerais State CEP: 37500-903, Brazil. Electronic address: jcrestrepol@hotmail.com.
⁶ NEST - Excellence Group in Thermal Power and Distributed Generation, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Itajubá, Av. BPS 1303, Itajubá, Minas Gerais State CEP: 37500-903, Brazil. Electronic address: osvaldo@unifei.edu.br.
⁷ Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa, 3131 Iowa City, IA 52242, United States. Electronic address: albert-ratner@uiowa.edu.

PMID: 28797628
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.08.006

Abstract

This work deals with the development of a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) gasification pilot plant using air as a gasification agent. A downdraft fixed bed reactor is integrated with an Otto cycle Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Modelling was carried out using the Aspen Plus™ software to predict the ideal operational conditions for maximum efficiency. Thermodynamics package used in the simulation comprised the Non-Random Two-Liquid (NRTL) model and the Hayden-O'Connell (HOC) equation of state. As expected, the results indicated that the Equivalence Ratio (ER) has a direct influence over the gasification temperature and the composition of the Raw Produced Gas (RPG), and effects of ER over the Lower Heating Value (LHV) and Cold Gasification Efficiency (CGE) of the RPG are also discussed. A maximum CGE efficiency of 57-60% was reached for ER values between 0.25 and 0.3, also an average reactor temperature values in the range of 680-700°C, with a peak LHV of 5.8MJ/Nm³. RPG was burned in an ICE, reaching an electrical power of 50kW_el. The economic assessment of the pilot plant implementation was also performed, showing the project is feasible, with power above 120kW_el with an initial investment of approximately US$ 300,000.

Keywords: Gasification; Municipal Solid Waste (MSW); Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF); Syngas; Techno-economic analysis.

MeSH terms

Electricity
Garbage
Incineration
Models, Theoretical*
Refuse Disposal / economics
Refuse Disposal / methods*
Refuse Disposal / statistics & numerical data
Solid Waste / analysis
Temperature
Thermodynamics*

Substances

Solid Waste