EngD Position in Complex Biomass Combustion on a Grate

The EngD programme is a 2-year post-MSc technological programme with a focus on technological design. This programme contains an educational part that will be followed at the University of Twente, and a design project that will be carried out in cooperation with consortium of companies (HoSt FT, HVC and Bio-energie Andijk) gathered under the BALANS project funded by RVO HER+ subsidy. The educational programme will have an in-depth and broadening character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the design project.

In the Netherlands large quantities of complex non-woody combustible biomass are still not utilized for power and heat generation. One of the best opportunities to utilize the potential is efficient and low emission combustion in modern energy plants like Bio-energiecentrale Andijk. However, the physico-chemical properties of the biomass mix, make it very challenging for the energy plant. A low temperature melting point of the ashes leads to agglomeration and blockage at the grate, whereas evaporated sodium and potassium salts present in the fuel, after condensation in the downstream installed afterburning chamber and boiler, may lead to fouling and corrosion. As a consequence the combustion process of such complex biomass (even when mixed with the regular biomass) is characterised by high investment and maintenance costs, low energy efficiency and low plant availability.

The aim of this project is to design an economically attractive combustion process in a grate furnace that can utilize the full potential of the complex non-woody biomass waste streams. This development should realize low temperatures in the gasification zone and assure the required retention time of 2 seconds at minimum temperature of 850 degC. The task demands from the EngD student modelling of the processes which occur on a grate and in the furnace, with the main focus on:
CFD modelling of the biogas combustion in the furnace using Ansys Fluent and/or OpenFOAM
Modelling of the gasification process of various biomass feeds on a grate (Matlab based)
Design optimum conditions for complex biomass combustion