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Article: Turning up the heat.(Iowa State University's thermal ballasting system)
- Article from:
- Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World
- Article date:
- July 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 American Society of Agricultural Engineers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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System improves prospects for small-scale gasifiers
Iowa State University has developed a thermal ballasting system for a fluidized bed biomass gasifier that produces flammable gas with a heating value nearly four times higher than conventional models.
The patented system exploits the heat storage ability of high-temperature, phase-change material to provide heat that drives energy-absorbing gasification reactions.
Conventional gasification consists of two processes: pyrolysis and combustion. Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of solid fuel at elevated temperatures to produce a combustible gas mixture. Because pyrolysis involves ...