Negative CO2 Emissions CHP Technology
Keywords - Bioenergy, Gasification, Combustion, Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Project Summary – Bioenergy based negative emissions technology has the most immediate potential to meet the new target of keeping the increase of global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels as agreed in the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015. This PhD project aims to develop a world-first negative CO2 emission combined heat and power (CHP) technology based on the gasification of biomass as well as alternate feedstock (waste). It is proposed that CO2 originating from the processes of gasification and combustion in CHP engine will be recycled to gasifier to assess its effect on the generation of CO rich syngas (synthesis gas). CO2 may also be combined with CH4, separated from syngas, in a dry reforming process to increase the high quality production of syngas consisting of valuable H2 and CO fuels. Advanced numerical and computational modelling techniques will be developed to study the thermo-chemical processes of gasification and combustion, associated with the kinetic reactions, design, system integration, thermodynamics, and multi-phase flow with parametric investigation to be done to characterise the system’s overall performance. Effects of various feedstocks, moistures, particle size, temperature, equivalence ratio etc. on the syngas quality will be investigated. Model predicted results will be validated with experimental data in Engineering and Chemistry labs and further analysed to characterise the system performance. Technical data will also be combined with Energy Economics to investigate the economic feasibility of the proposed technology by determining its position in the merit order of heat and electricity generation.
The University of Glasgow has a strong track record in the field of gasification and combustion engineering, with a number of ongoing collaborative projects focusing on the biomass, waste and coal gasification and combustion. Further information can be found from http://www.combgen.gla.ac.uk/. This PhD project thus will also benefit from this consortium as well as various networking activities organised through it.
Project Team - The project will be led by Dr Manosh Paul at the School of Engineering and co-supervised by Professor David Jackson and Professor Justin Hargreaves (School of Chemistry), and Dr Souvik Datta (Adam Smith Business School) of the University of Glasgow. The student will work among the three groups and primarily be based in the School of Engineering. The supervisors will hold regular meetings with the student to review the project’s progress and also to provide supports as required in order to meet the anticipated project goals in time. The student will have access to the facilities available in the three research groups and will also benefit from a highly active research culture of working in this interdisciplinary team.