Novel Method for Continuous, In-Situ Measurement of Alkali in Biomass Gasification

60445 Biomass is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels and other renewable energy resources in many markets. However, biomass power generation will not be widely adopted until control measures for alkalis are in place, because they are corrosive to turbine blades. This project will develop an alkali diagnostic for use in biomass gasifiers. The instrument will provide information to enable an on-line control system for gasification systems. Phase I preliminary data showed that spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy (SIBS) can be applied to the in-situ measurement of Na and K in a gasifier gas stream. Also developed were a predictive model to estimate alkali concentrations based on fuel characteristics and a design for a high temperature probe. Phase II will design and assemble a prototype instrument for this measurement, and three field tests will be performed. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The control technology should make biomass energy generation more competitive. Development of these systems is important because feedstocks utilized for power generation are grown and consumed in a closed loop, i.e., there are no net CO2 emissions.