1Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India, Email: rajiv_varshney@rediff.com
2Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India, Email: palak_bh@rediff.com
3Principal Scientist, Agricultural Mechanization Division Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal, India, Email: crmehta@ciae.res.in
In the present study, a briquette based closed top throatless downdraft gasifier has been designed and its performance is evaluated. Cylindrical briquettes of soybean stalks of 6 cm diameter and length 610 cm were prepared and used as fuel in the gasifier during the experiment. The distinctive feature of the designed gasifier is that it can operate successfully on biomass briquettes with negligible clinker formation. It was found that maximum biomass consumption rate was 16.7 kg/h and maximum specific gasification rate was 239 kg/hm2at full load operation of 17 kW. The maximum gasification efficiency was estimated to be 51.5%.
Gasifier, gasification, producer gas, biomass, briquettes
