Biomass Drying Cabinet: Design, Construction, and Evaluation

Abstract

For the purpose of pelletizing biomass and use it as a fuel in a gasifier, the moisture level of the material needs to be reduced to an acceptably low level (less than 20%). Therefore, biomass drying is necessary before pelletizing and gasification. In this project, we used a general engineering methodology to design a biomass dryer. This method included studying the gasification process, investigating various drying methods and strategies, designing a dryer, constructing a prototype, testing the prototype, and evaluating the design. AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS were used in the design process. In this project, the gasification process was investigated, and the necessity of biomass drying was clarified. In addition, a biomass drying cabinet was designed, which can dry 50 kg of algae in 30 hours. A 9-kW electric heater with 980 cubic meters per hour airflow was used as a source of heat in the dryer. The preliminary design was equipped with a heat recovery system, which was removed after considering the results of the first test. The results of the drying test on the revised prototype were successful. The moisture content of algae reduced to 11.7% after 22 hours of drying. More than 50% of the mass of algae was lost in less than the first 6 hours of the drying test, and the drying rate reduced over time.