Gasification is the conversion of carbonaceous feedstock by air, oxygen or steam into a gas mixture, called synthesis gas (syngas), consisting of calorific value which can further be used for downstream applications. Gasification  differs from combustion in a sense that the syngas contain calorific value.

At RISE ETC there are multiple test beds for gasification:

• FOX (Fixed Bed Oxygen Blown Gasifier Pilot Plant) is an atmospheric fixed bed gasifier that can be used to produce a syngas mixture that is comparable to that of generated in entrained gasifiers. This is achieved by introduction of pure oxygen which leads to high process temperatures. Possible feedstock can be any solid feed in pellet form such as  biomass or plastic waste. The FOX pilot has a capacity of 4 kg of fuel per hour,  equivalent to about 20 kW.

• VAFF (Vertical Atmospheric Flexifuel Furnace), is an atmospheric gasifier for pulverised feed stock. VAFF has a  capacity of 20-40 kg fuel per hour, equivalent to about 100-200 kW.  
   
• DTF (Drop Tube Furnace) is a drop tube reactor in which the pulverised/liquid feed stock  is fed from the top of the pre-heated oven and then falls to the bottom. The DTF is used on lab scale for generating fundamental data under well controlled conditions.  

The syngas from the gasifier can be used for electricity production, upgraded to biofuels and/or chemicals or produce synthetic natural gas. Alternatively, it can be used in the cement or paper industry for various drying or heating applications, as well as a reaction gas when making steel. 

Current research projects are mostly focused on the characterisation of syngas produced from biomass and chemical recycling of plastic waste.

The gasification test bed enables scientific research on an industrial relevant scale.

Slurry hydrocracking (SHC) is a refinery process developed to upgrade crude oil fractions that have a high tendency to form coke. Research at RISE has shown that slurry reactors are also well suited for upgrading bio-based feeds such as pyrolysis oil and lignin, raw materials are generally problematic to process in refinery infrastructure. The processing in SHC is performed by mixing the raw material with a catalyst into a slurry which is then treated at high temperature (typically around 350 – 400 °C) and high pressure (typically around 50 – 180 bar) in a continuous flow of hydrogen. The SHC pilot plant is unique in that it enables continuous processing on an industrially relevant scale.

The test bed includes a packed bed reactor, which is a very common reactor type at a refinery and which can be used for further upgrading of products from the slurry reactor to finished fuel products. Formed products can also be distilled to specific boiling point ranges in our distillation equipment. Gases can be analyzed with both online and offline instruments. The SHC test bed also includes reactors for semi-batch experiments and for catalyst synthesis.

At RISE, we also offer a deep and broad expertise in characterisation of chemicals and fuels based on new raw materials.

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process for converting various types of organic material such as biomass or plastic waste into energy, chemicals and / or fuels. The process takes place at temperatures between 500 and 1000 ° C in an oxygen-free environment. The products will be a vapor which can be cooled to a liquid (usually called pyrolysis oil) and a non-condensable gas as well as a solid product, coke. At RISE ETC we can study pyrolysis in different scales; analytical pyrolysis, bench-scale pyrolysis and pilot-scale pyrolysis, depending on the specific issue. With the analytical pyrolysis, which consists of a pyrolysis unit connected to a gas chromatograph (pyroGC / MS, FID), we can study the thermal behaviour of different materials, get a semi-quantitative determination of the volatile compounds produced and identify typical pyrolysis products (chemical compounds and chemical groups). In order to study mass balance, characterize the pyrolysis products (gas, oil and solids) and ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis, we have a larger (1 g / min biomass) bench scale plant based on a drop tube reactor (pyroDTF). Finally, we also have a pilot scale pyrolysis plant based on an ablative cyclone reactor (POC) to be able to analyse rapid pyrolysis of biomass in the order of 30 kg/h. The test beds enables research on an industrially relevant scale, both in relation to the pyrolysis process itself, as well as characterization and upgrading. Together with our test beds for upgrading that mimic refinery processes (SHC and FCC), advanced studies can be performed on the entire chain from raw materials (such as sawdust, bark, etc.) to biofuels.

To supplement these test beds, we also have a lab scale system (BAP - Batch Pyrolyser) for analysis of slow pyrolysis which is more suitable for plastic waste.

This virtual test bed offers a unique opportunity to evaluate new biorefinery concepts at an early stage, identify potential integration benefits with the pulp mill and provide feedback for continued development and optimization in lab or pilot scale.

The test bed consists of detailed process simulation models (reference mill models) for modern pulp mills based on best available techniques (BAT) and includes all unit operations in the pulp mill. The models contain mass balances for fiber, water, Na, S, K, Cl and the major non-process elements when biomass is processed, as well as energy balances with steam systems and secondary heating systems. An established  method for techno-economic and sustainability evaluation is available.

The reference mill models can be adapted to existing factories to evaluate different biorefinery concepts.

Evaluation of functional, safety and environmental aspects in the lab and field from component to system level for combustion and gasification of fuels.

• Testing sites for boilers, burners and stoves up to 500 kW.
• Specially built rigs for studies of fuels, technology and process in well-defined conditions
• Test rig for combustion in fluid bed 20 kW.
• Steam explosion 10 l, 30 bar.
• Lab reactor 3 kW combustion. Gasification, pyrolysis, fix, fluid bed.
• Sintering reactor.
• Equipment for flue gas analysis and measurement of particles, corrosion and deposits/aggregates.
• Manufacture of designed fuel pellets.
• Chemical analysis of particles / coatings. The laboratory is accredited for EN and ISO standards.