Gasification in Aspen Plus

CHEN 4470 – Process Design Practice

Dr. Mario Richard Eden

Department of Chemical Engineering
Auburn University

Lecture No. 3 – Modeling Gasification Systems in Aspen Plus

January 17, 2013
Components

Feedstock used in this example is

Montana Sub-Bituminous Coal

Note: NOT an exhaustive list.

Stream Classes

Used for models where you have both conventional

(carbon) and nonconventional (coal/biomass + ash)
solids present, but no particle size distribution
Properties

The first parameter (6) indicates that you want to

enter the heat of combustion information yourself,
rather than have Aspen estimate it.
Properties
Properties
Enter a new pure component parameter here. Since
we are entering the heat of combustion for the
coal/biomass, it is classified as nonconventional
Properties

From feedstock information for Montana

Sub-Bituminous Coal
Feed Specification

Simple basis: 1000 kg/hr

Note that the coal is located in
the NC substream!
Feed Specification

Note: PROXANAL values for FC,

VM, and ASH sum to 100!
Moisture is added separately.
Feed Specification

Note: ULTANAL values sum to 100!

Values taken from feedstock description

Feed Specification

Note: SULFANAL values sum to ULTANAL value

for sulfur!

Sulfur breakdown from feedstock description:

45% pyritic, 45% organic, 10% sulfate

Pyritic: 0.45*1.22 = 0.549

Organic: 0.45*1.22 = 0.549
Sulfate: 0.10*1.22 = 0.122
 Coal Decomposition

First reactor (RYIELD) serves to convert/decompose the coal/biomass into its

constituent parts, i.e. H2, O2, N2, H2O, S, C, and ASH.

This is NOT a true stand alone reactor, but an integral part of the gasification
reactor. The decomposition reactor serves to convert the nonconventional solids
into true components and ash.
Coal Decomposition
 Coal Decomposition

Yield distribution is entered as mass yield of component per total mass of feed and calculated from
the ultimate analysis data:
mH2 = (1 – XMoisture)*XH*mFeed = (1 – 0.105)*0.0489*1000 kg = 44 kg → yield H2 = 0.044
mO2 = (1 – XMoisture)*XO*mFeed = (0.895)*0.1304*1000 kg = 117 kg → yield O2 = 0.117
mN2 = (1 – XMoisture)*XN*mFeed = (0.895)*0.0149*1000 kg = 13 kg → yield N2 = 0.013
mH2O = XMoisture*mFeed = 0.105*1000 kg = 105 kg → yield H2O = 0.105
mS = (1 – XMoisture)*XS*mFeed = (0.895)*0.0122*1000 kg = 11 kg → yield S = 0.011
mC = (1 – XMoisture)*XC*mFeed = (0.895)*0.6684*1000 kg = 598 kg → yield C = 0.598
mASH = (1 – XMoisture)*XASH*mFeed = (0.895)*0.1251*1000 kg = 112 kg → yield ASH = 0.112
Coal Decomposition

Note: It is necessary to specify that the ASH

component is 100% ash in PROXANAL.
Coal Decomposition

Note: It is necessary to specify that the ASH

component is 100% ash in ULTANAL.
Coal Decomposition

Note: It is necessary to specify that the ASH

component is 0% sulfur in SULFANAL.
 Coal Gasification

Second reactor (RGIBBS) serves to convert the decomposed coal/biomass into

synthesis gas by reacting it with oxygen. The stream labeled GASFEED does not
exist in reality. It serves as a means of transferring the constituent elements of the
decomposed coal/biomass to the actual gasification reactor.
It is necessary to link the two reactor blocks by a heat stream in order to take the
energy required for the decomposition into account!
Coal Gasification

Simple basis: 1000 kg/hr

You will need to identify the
optimal oxygen feedrate along
with temperature and pressure
Coal Gasification
Coal Gasification

Important: The elementary

carbon formed (if any) needs to
be specified as a pure solid.
 Solids Removal

The SSPlit subroutine allows for splitting the feed according to the individual
substreams, i.e. It enables separating the solids that are ”carried” in the NC and
CISOLID substreams to be separated from the gaseous products in the MIXED
substream
Solids Removal
 A Few Results

Stream: SYNGAS Stream: ASH

Substream: MIXED Substream: NC
Mole Flow kmol/hr Mass Flow kg/hr
HYDROGEN 15.6820753 COAL 0
OXYGEN 4.47E-15 ASH 112
NITROGEN 0.46290993 Total Flow kg/hr 112
WATER 11.2474944 Temperature C 1005.92981
SULFUR 8.55E-09 Pressure bar 30.3975
CO 34.8003674 Vapor Frac 0
CO2 14.797821 Liquid Frac 0
H2S 0.34304247 Solid Frac 1
METHANE 0.18950623 Enthalpy kcal/kg 55.4111977
C 0 Enthalpy Gcal/hr 0.00620605
AMMONIA 0.00230474 Entropy
Total Flow kmol/hr 77.5255214 Density kg/cum 3486.88409
Total Flow kg/hr 1888 Average MW 1
Total Flow cum/hr 273.345722
Temperature C 1005.92981
Pressure bar 30.3975
Vapor Frac 1
Liquid Frac 0