Experimental investigation of the effect of initial fuel particle shape, size and bed temperature on devolatilization of single wood particle in a hot fluidized bed

Considerable amount of investigation on the subject of devolatilization of wood is found in the open literature. However, a systematic study of the effect of initial particle size and shape, and bed temperature on devolatilization time and char yield of wood in a hot fluidized bed is still missing. This paper attempts to fill this gap through a systematic experimental investigation to determine the devolatilization time and char yield of a typical woody biomass, “Casuarina equisetifolia” particles of different initial sizes and shapes at various fluidized bed temperatures. Experiments are conducted using 10, 15, 20, and 25 mm Casuarina wood particles of three shapes, namely, cube, cylinder, and sphere at bed temperatures of 1023, 1123, and 1223 K.It is found that the initial wood particle size has the strongest influence on devolatilization time followed by the shape of initial wood particle and the bed temperature. Correlation for devolatilization time (τd) as a function of initial wood particle size (deq), sphericity (ϕ), and bed temperature (Tb), is developed using 573 experimental data points exhibiting a correlation coefficient of 0.96 and predictions falling well within a deviation band of ±20%. The predictions of the present correlation are compared with the predictions of the existing correlations in literature for conditions also out of the present study and the deviation is found to be ±30%.Char yield, defined as the ratio of the residual mass at the end of devolatilization process to the initial mass of the wood particle is found to be in the range of 9–14% for all sizes, shapes, and bed temperatures. Char yield does not depict any definite trend with the variation of initial particle size, shape and bed temperature.