1. Turbomachinery in Biofuel Production
Doctoral student : Martin Görling
Supervisors:
Prof Mats Westermark (EP)
Prof Krister Sjöström, Prof Sven Järås (KT)

2. The main objectives of the project are :
To perform a techno-economic feasibility study of the
integration of turbo-machinery into different promising
bio-fuel production processes.
To improve the technological knowledge in the field of
turbo-machinery and bio-fuel production

4. Biofuels First Generation Vegetable oil-esters or biodiesel
Ethanol from fermentation of agriculture and waste products
Second Generation
Gasification of non-food crops and cellulosic biomass
Third Generation
Hydrogen used in fuel cells
Algae

5. Biofuels Biomass Process Fuel Cellulosic & Lignin Hydrogen
Gasification
FT-Diesel
Sugar
Fermentation
Methanol &DME
Fermentable
Ethanol
Digestion
Oilseed
Biogas
Extraction
Waste
RME

6. Methanol production

7. Methanol production

8. Methane is an excellant raw material for methanol and the reaction is
Methanol synthesis from methane
CH ½ O2  CH3OH reaction heat
Energy: 802,  676 (84%) (16%) kJ/mol
Theoretically about 84% of the LHV of methane can be recovered as methanol
In practice about 75% is recovered as methanol. This is a good recovery!
Methane is an excellant raw material for methanol and the reaction is
rather reversible
The reaction heat (~300C) is used for steam injection (~50 bar) and for
distillation of the product.
The use of steam turbines are rare.

9. About 60% of the biomass energy can be recovered as methanol.
Methanol synthesis from biomass
2,7 CH1,5 O0, ,4 O2  CH3OH + reaction heat + 1,7CO2
Energy:  676 (=60%) kJ/mol MeOH
About 60% of the biomass energy can be recovered as methanol.
The remaining 40% is transformed to heat.
Biomass requires heating to be gasified before the methanisation reactor
Alternatives for gasifiers:
Oxygen addition to gasifier (see above)
Hydrogen addition to gasifier (high carbon recovery,)
Indirect gasification with hot sand (no oxygen plant)
The reaction heat (~300C) is used for steam injection (~50 bar) and for
distillation of the product.
Recovery of additional heat from gasifier may be used in steam turbines.

10. Methanol plant size Average plant: 1100t/d Mega plant: 5000t/d
≈ 10,1 TWh/y MeOH ≈ 1150 MW MeOH Fuel demand: ≈13 TWh Natural gas ≈17 TWh Biomass
≈ 2,2 TWh/y MeOH ≈ 255 MW MeOH Fuel demand: ≈3 TWh Natural gas ≈3,7 TWh Biomass
Dilemma between steam production and Methanol efficiency

11. Production process Pre-treatment Gasification Gas clean-up
Gas conditioning
Fuel synthesis
Fuel + off-gas

12. Gasification Kanske ska bort men lite intro till förgasare Agent
Oxygen
Steam
Hydrogen
Techniques
Fluidized bed
Indirect
Kanske ska bort men lite intro till förgasare

13. Fluidized bed Pressure: 1 – 40 bar Gasification agent
Air
Oxygen
Hydrogen
No scale up limit

14. Indirect gasification
Small scale
Atmospheric pressure
Syngas content
High methane
Low nitrogen
chalmers

15. Methane synthesis from biomass
Oxygen gasification:
2,7 CH1,5 O0, ,4 O2  CH reaction heat + 1,7CO2
Energy:  676 (=60%) kJ/mol MeOH
Oxygen addition to gasifier (storage of CO2 requires oxygen plant)
Suitable for carbon capture and storage
Hydrogasification:
CH1,5 O0, ,85 H2  CH reaction heat + 0,6H2O
Energy:  676 (=78%) kJ/mol MeOH
Hydrogen addition to gasifier requires hydrogen but gives high carbon recovery
Suitable for use of wind energy in the transport sector

16. SNG production
Internal power prod. 5MW

18. Available steam: 33MW

19. Turbomachinery in biofuel production
Large amounts of excess heat
Minimize steam consumption
Indirect/hydrogen gasification
Humidification
steam turbine power production is a given complement in biofuel production systems
Steam turbines

20. Turbomachinery in biofuel production
Gas turbines – syngas combustion
Optimized for natural gas.
Problems with syngas combustion in modern low NOx burners.
Limited resources of biomass, scale problems.
Hybrid combined cycle
Input
-Natural gas for gas turbine
-Biomass for fuel and heat (excess heat from fuel prod.)
Output
-Biofuel
-Electricity
-Heat