Combined heat and power production by novel fixed-bed gasification technology

The new NOVEL-gasification technology uses forced fuel feeding making it possible to effectively utilise such biomass residues and energy crops that cannot otherwise be used in fixed-bed gasifiers without expensive pre-treatment. Test runs with this new type of gasifier were successfully carried out with various low-bulk-density biomass fuels. Reliable operation was achieved even with sawdust and wood shavings. The technical feasibility of the monolith-based catalytic gas cleanup concept was demonstrated by performing pilot-scale test runs with a process consisting of the NOVEL fixed bed gasifier, a catalytic reformer followed by a filter and a gas scrubber/cooler. Gas produced had very low tar (< 100 mg/m3n), ammonia (< 50 ppm) and particulate (< 5 mg/m3n) contents and it can be considered suitable for use in modern turbo charged engines. The long-term durability of the nickel reforming catalyst was demonstrated in a slip-stream test during a 2300 h long test run. The technical and economical feasibility of the NOVEL CHP process was studied in Finnish and Italian cases, which gave very positive results considering promotion of the process. Consequently, the first full size NOVEL CHP plant (1.8MWe) is currently under commissioning in town Kokemäki, Finland.