Modeling heat and mass transfer in catalytic wood gasification

Current research in the gasification of biomass materials includes production of a methanol synthesis gas catalytically. Previous experiments have indicated early deactivation of catalysts due primarily to carbon deposition. This study presents the results of efforts to model the heat and mass transfer within a spherical catalyst pellet using orthogonal collocation. Solutions are presented which predict temperature and concentration distributions and pellet effectiveness factors. These solutions are compared to a thermodynamic equilibrium model to predict regimes of carbon deposition and subsequent deactivation. Experimental data are presented which support conclusions drawn above