Development of a sugar cane residue feeding system for a cyclone gasifier

For the smooth and continuous operation of a cyclone gasifier, the fuel must be fed continuously and without interruption or large fluctuations. A feeding system for bagasse/cane trash powder was therefore designed, built and tested. It consisted of a feeding bin with four feeder screws in the bottom which deliver the fuel to two downcomers from which the fuel is injected by steam into the gasifier. During the first tests, the low bulk density and cohesive characteristics of a crushed bagasse/cane trash powder were found to cause an accumulation of the fuel in the feeding system, creating difficulties for the flow into the gasifier. In addition, once the flow of the crushed bagasse/cane trash powder is interrupted by a build-up in the downcomer channels, the crushed bagasse/cane trash powder becomes progressively compacted into a dense structure, resulting in blockage of the discharge. It was found possible to eliminate this problem by changing the shape of the slivers of the crushed bagasse/cane trash powder to render them more homogeneous. This was achieved by pelletizing the crushed bagasse or cane trash before grinding it to powder.