Estudo da utilização de ciclones para separação de particulados do fluxo de syngas em um reator de gaseificação

Abstract

This study investigated the performance of a syngas cleaning system applied to a gasification reactor, with a focus on the efficiency of particulate matter removal using cyclones. To compare theoretical efficiency prediction models with experimental results, a test bench was built consisting of a prototype cyclone, a blower, and a particle feeding system. Experimental tests were conducted using iron oxide and sand particles with their respective particle size distributions. The experimental results were compared with the classical collection efficiency models proposed by Lapple, Barth, Leith & Licht, and Dietz, allowing the level of agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental data to be assessed. The analysis showed that the models present significant differences among themselves, highlighting the importance of experimental validation. Among the evaluated models, the Leith and Licht model exhibited the best agreement with the experimental results, both for finer and coarser particles. A sizing and optimization software was developed to evaluate a large number of cyclone geometries and to select configurations with improved performance, considering simultaneously multiple efficiency models and the associated pressure drop. The selected cyclone presented a collection efficiency of 80.05% according to the Leith and Licht model. The application of cyclones operating in series was investigated as a strategy to enhance particle removal efficiency, with each subsequent cyclone fed by the material not collected in the previous stage. The use of two cyclones in series increased the overall collection efficiency to 91.04%, while an arrangement with four cyclones in series reached 96.67%. Configurations with five or more cyclones were not considered feasible due to limitations of the reactor internal space. Therefore, the four-cyclone series arrangement was defined as the most suitable solution, combining high collection efficiency with constructive feasibility.