Title:
Aspen Plus™ Modelling of Fractional Condensation Schemes for Production of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil
Author(s):
Fonseca, F.G., Funke, A., Dahmen, N.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
Fast pyrolysis processes immediately produce two phases: a gas and a solid. Volatiles present in this gas condense into a “bio-oil” comprised of several hundred compounds and a relevant amount of water. To facilitate its use and downstream upgrading, the control of parameters such as water content is important. Fractional condensation is a feasible technique, which generates different liquid phases with different possible upgrading pathways. Process modeling permits the testing of operating conditions without the material costs of an experimental setup. For liquid-vapor systems, one factor becomes paramount: the selection of a thermodynamic property method package; while for fast pyrolysis condensation, the difficulty lies with the selection of a surrogate mixture that both simplifies and emulates the complex reality of the bio-oils. Four different publications featuring fast pyrolysis and fractioned condensation have been modeled. A surrogate bio-oil mixture was devised from GC-MS results, and the presence of a heavy ‘pyrolytic lignin’ phase was estimated from the unmeasurable GC-MS peak areas. This work is comprised of two parts: 1. Several property packages available on Aspen Plus™ are compared and evaluated based on estimation deviations, mass flow estimations and simulation stability. 2. The presence of a ‘pyrolytic lignin’ surrogate was considered, and sensitivity analyses were performed varying identity and amount within the mixture. UNIQUAC and NRTL were found to be more stable and perform overall better than other property method packages. Heavier ‘pyrolytic lignin’ surrogates seem to promote better values for viscosity, whereas lighter promote better water content predictions.
Keywords:
fast pyrolysis, lignocellulose, modelling, pyrolysis oil, condensation, simulation, Aspen Plus
Topic:
Biomass Conversion Technologies for Energy Carriers, Chemicals and Materials
Subtopic:
Pyrolysis
Event:
27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
3BV.7.9
Pages:
1227 - 1233
ISBN:
978-88-89407-19-6
Paper DOI:
10.5071/27thEUBCE2019-3BV.7.9
Price:
FREE
