| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 210059 | Fuel Processing Technology | 2013 | 9 Pages |
Measurements of temperature in the proximity of wood pellets (8 mm diameter) and thin wooden stick slices (5 cm diameter and 5 mm thickness) were conducted to estimate the effects of mixing between the evolving volatiles and hot steam (T > 700 °C) flowing around the particles. Measurements of mass loss of the slices were conducted to estimate the apparent kinetic parameters of their pyrolysis. A simple kinetic model of the process (type II by Pyle and Zaror (1984) [20]) was investigated. The experiments showed a plateau-like part in the graphs of temperature measured in the proximity to the samples. The existence of this plateau-like part agrees with the general data of calorimetric measurements of pyrolysis, which show extensive energy consumption in the beginning of an active production of volatiles. A hypothesis regarding feedback on the process due to the micro-expansion and mixing of volatiles in the convective boundary layer is discussed.
► Measurements of temperature in the proximity of wood pellets and thin wooden stick slices were conducted to estimate the apparent kinetic parameters of their pyrolysis. ► A kinetic model of the process was investigated. ► The experiments and simulations showed a thermally non-neutral character of pyrolysis. ► A hypothesis regarding feedback on the process due to the micro-expansion and mixing of volatiles in the convective boundary layer is discussed.
