A CFD study of biomass pyrolysis in a downer reactor equipped with a novel gas–solid separator-II thermochemical performance and products

• A CFD model is used to simulate biomass fast pyrolysis in a downer reactor.
• A Eulerian–Eulerian approach with a single global pyrolysis reaction is used.
• A novel gas–solid separator was used to control the gas residence time.
• Predicted pyrolysis yield is in good agreement with reported literature data.

A Eulerian–Eulerian CFD model was used to investigate the fast pyrolysis of biomass in a downer reactor equipped with a novel gas–solid separation mechanism. The highly endothermic pyrolysis reaction was assumed to be entirely driven by an inert solid heat carrier (sand). A one-step global pyrolysis reaction, along with the equations describing the biomass drying and heat transfer, was implemented in the hydrodynamic model presented in part I of this study (Fuel Processing Technology, V126, 366–382). The predictions of the gas–solid separation efficiency, temperature distribution, residence time and the pyrolysis product yield are presented and discussed. For the operating conditions considered, the devolatilisation efficiency was found to be above 60% and the yield composition in mass fraction was 56.85% bio-oil, 37.87% bio-char and 5.28% non-condensable gas (NCG). This has been found to agree reasonably well with recent relevant published experimental data. The novel gas–solid separation mechanism allowed achieving greater than 99.9% separation efficiency and < 2 s pyrolysis gas residence time. The model has been found to be robust and fast in terms of computational time, thus has the great potential to aid in future design and optimisation of the biomass fast pyrolysis process.