A simulation tool to evaluate the feasibility of a gasification-ice system to produce heat and power for industrial applications

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems fed by renewable sources are of great interest for efficient and greener energy production in industrial applications. In order to reduce fossil fuel consumption, biomass gasification coupled with I.C.E. is a viable way for ensure constant and accurately predictable renewable energy production. The aim of this work is to evaluate the integration in an industrial context of a CHP system fed by syngas produced from woody biomass gasification in a downdraft reactor. The feasibility study was developed thorough the combination of two simulation programs. Aspen Plus was used for simulating the biomass gasification unit and was exploited in order to determine the syngas composition and flow rate. Results have been employed in TRNSYS, that has instead been chosen for the modeling of the complete CHP system.