Robust instrumentation and control systems for gasification of biomass

Biomass feedstocks derived from plants and trees are a renewable source of energy. These organic materials store the sun’s energy via photosynthesis which can be released during thermochemical processing. Gasification is a common method used for thermal decompositions of biomass which produces carbon monoxide and hydrogen which can be used to produce heat, electricity or platform chemicals. In this study, a propriety type of Miscanthus (MxG) was used as the feedstock for gasification in a lab-scale, downdraft gasifier with the purpose to develop and improve gasification control. A novel instrumentation and control system was developed for measuring gasification parameters: temperature, pressure, mass flow and gas composition. The design and development of the automated control systems for optimised gasification performance is discussed. The Gasifier Control Unit (GCU) system is low cost with an open source protocol, allowing other developers to benefit and expand the core of this research. Robust instrumentation systems were installed on the downdraft gasifier system to allow real-time monitoring and automated optimisation of the gasification process using feedback control systems. The results from preliminary runs are presented.