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FP6 - 502587
CHRISGAS - Clean Hydrogen-rich Synthesis Gas |
| Contract No: | FP6 - 502587 |
| Source: | 6 Month Progress Report (March 2005) |
Project Organisation The Project Co-ordination office has been successfully established and members have been appointed for both the Project Committee (PROCOM) and the Technical Committee (TECCOM). An Exploitation Manager was appointed during the PROCOM meeting in March.
Project Work
Pilot Plant/Värnamo Alterations - The appointment of a Plant Manager in February has been a major break-through for the activities concerning the pilot plant. A detailed time schedule has been put forward including cold flow tests to verify at a first stage the functionality of the plant before the summer. These tests will be followed by hot-flow tests during the autumn and basic engineering including a final cost estimate is due at the start of 2006. The first conceptual engineering has already been finalized, however, a final choice still has to be made about the water-gas shift reactor temperature level.
Fuel Supply, Quality and Economy - Methods to assess the fuel quantities available for conversion are being developed under WP5. A preliminary scan of available databases has been performed to see what kind of data is readily available for Southern Europe. A PhD student has been employed to conduct a similar survey for Northern Europe WP6 deals with the possibilities to dry biomass using low quality heat. This will affect the economy of the fuel as evaluated in WP5 and will thus affect the fundamental data (moisture content) put into the economic evaluation models in WP5. The design of the experimental rig has also started.
Fuel Feeding - The alterations of the pilot plant will include a novel fuel feeding system, thereby reducing the need of nitrogen gas. The system is based on a piston feeder, the first version of which has been successfully tested at laboratory scale. A more thorough testing period (more than 100 hours of continuous operation) will take place during April-May 2005.
Gasification and Gas Quality - The heart of WP8 is the gasifier and the possibility to gain a gas quality with a specified composition and with a sufficiently low content of contaminants. Comparative round robin tests will be performed using different biomasses in different gasifier rigs at the Technical University in Delft and at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. The gasifiers are in operational condition after modifications and biomass samples have been selected and distributed.
The final gas quality depends not only on the gasification process but also on the raw material. The gas characterization work (WP 9) thus starts with the characterization and analysis of the raw material. The same round robin test procedure as for the gasification (WP8) is employed and the samples have been distributed to the partaking partners and the first sets of analyses has been performed. Improvements have been made to the tar analysis technique employed at the Royal Institute of Technology.
One major aspect on the gas quality is its particle loading. The gasifier at Delft will be equipped with different high-temperature filters to test their performance (WP10). The commissioning of the first filter has recently started.
Gas Composition Adjustment - The main aim of this sub-project is to demonstrate the possibility to produce a tailored gas composition for a tail-end conversion process from biomass. This requires a steam reforming of the gas to adjust its content of hydrocarbons (WP11) followed by a water -gas shift reactor to fine-tune the CO/H2 ratio (WP12). Both reactors require catalysts and in both cases the catalysts are sensitive to many of the trace elements present in biomass.
A first literature overview on steam reforming of methane has been compiled and an experimental design to test some of the critical parameters is currently being prepared.
For the water-gas shift, similar difficulties concerning the catalyst have been identified but in this case there is a choice for the temperature in the shift reactor, which has to be made. The pros and cons for high and low-temperature reactors are currently being discussed in the project group and two alternative conceptual designs have been delivered to the project group responsible for the plant alterations (WPs 2, 3 and 4). A preliminary Review on Water-Gas Shift catalysts has been prepared and is awaiting finalisation.
WP13 looks at the problems of gas contaminants in an alternative way, and so is investigating the possibilities of removing gas impurities prior to catalysis. The sub-activities started concern mainly literature surveys of membrane technology and on sulphur cleaning. Initial steps to set up laboratory rigs have also been taken.
Mathematical Modelling - WP 14 concerns mathematical modelling of the gasifier and will be initiated by a state-of-the art literature survey. This will commence before summer. WP 15 concerns the mathematical modelling of the whole system and will start after the first 18 months.
Social Economic Studies - Work within this WP will commence after month 18.
Information & Exploitation - The main information activities in the project are within Work Packages 17 (dissemination) and 18 (training) while WP 19 concerns the protection of confidential knowledge generated within the project. The main gateways for dissemination are the web site, the flyer and physical presence of project representatives at conferences, fairs and alike. A Project Communication Action Plan has been prepared outlining the interconnection between training and dissemination activities. Currently a detailed plan for the training activities is being prepared.
Project representatives have been active and present already at several conferences in Russia, China, Sweden and in Belgium. The Project will also be presented in Stockholm, Spain, Paris and the US this year.
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Updated
by CPL Press:
03/07/2007
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