Finite volume analysis of biomass particle pyrolysis

Abstract

Individual biomass particle exchanges mass and heat with its surrounding during the thermal conversion process. Therefore environmental conditions around the particle greatly determine the conversion process through which the particle undergoes. It is important to model this relationship between particle and its surroundings during the thermal conversion rather than using random boundary conditions at the interphase. A two dimensional mathematical model which closely couples the surrounding environment with particle behavior for pyrolysis of thermally thick biomass particle was developed. Finite Volume Method (FVM) was used to accomplish Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Simulation results were able to predict the effect of surrounding conditions on particle pyrolysis behavior and vice versa.