Numerical Modelling of Biomass Combustion in a Large-scale Industrial Furnace

Abstract

The world is making a major shift towards renewable energy. As the threat of climate change and global warming becomes more and more imminent, researchers are trying to find sustainable renewable energy sources. Biomass is a very cheap form of energy that does not require an intense capital investment in order to harness its power. As volatile matters are much more prominent in biomass than in coal and biomass combustion also emits toxic gases a strong case supporting the use of biomass instead of coal must be made. That is why the purpose of this thesis project is to understand if biomass energy is sustainable or not for Bangladesh which is a humid low-lying country with a natural abundance of biomass. An extensive 3-dimensional numerical analysis has been directed with a view of grasping the characteristics of biomass in a life-size boiler and observe the maximum temperature that can be obtained inside the boiler. Biomass particle has higher volatile materials than coal particles which ensures faster combustion in the boiler and the highest temperature was recorded at the throat of the boiler which is approximately (1900-2200K) at the BNR A-C. The CO2 and O2 mass fraction contour confirm the burning of oxygen which ensures the combustion in the boiler core. The effect of biomass diameter, burner inlet diameters and boundary conditions on the results of the simulation was obvious. The ultimate purpose of this research is to find evidence of sustainability for biomass combustion and replacing coal as a fuel source in every respect.