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Thermochemical Users Facility

A photo of a large research facility. Two large white vertical reactor tanks and several smaller metal tanks are connected by a network of pipes. A man is examining a control panel in the center of the photo.

This eight-inch-diameter fluidized bed reactor can be used to gasify or pyrolyze biomass.

The state-of-the-art Thermochemical Users Facility (TCUF) consists of several complementary unit operations that can be configured to accommodate the testing and development of various reactors, filters, catalysts, and other unit operations. The TCUF offers clients the capability to test new processes and feedstocks in a timely and cost-effective manner and to quickly and safely obtain extensive performance data on their processes or equipment.

The Thermochemical Users Facility contains the following equipment:

  • Thermochemical Process Development Unit
    The heart of the TCUF is the 0.5-metric-ton-per-day Thermochemical Process Development Unit (TCPDU), which can be operated in either a pyrolysis or gasification mode. The main unit operations in the TCPDU include 8-inch diameter fluidized bed reactor; 1.5-inch diameter by 100-ft-long tubular entrained flow reactor; cyclonic particulate separation; fluidized bed catalytic reformer; and wet scrubber system. A variety of particulate removal, secondary catalytic conversion, and condensation equipment is also available.

  • Bench-Scale Biomass Conversion System
    This 2-in.-diameter fluidized bed reactor system can be used for small-scale studies of biomass and bio-oil gasification, pyrolysis, catalytic reforming of pyrolysis liquids or vapors, or raw syngas conditioning.

  • Slip-Stream Catalyst Synthesis Test Unit
    The TCUF's slip-stream catalyst testing unit allows researchers to evaluate fuel synthesis catalysts using either bottled gases or a slip-stream of biomass-derived syngas from the TCPDU. The test cell has both fixed and slurry bed reactors for bench-scale fuel synthesis catalyst evaluation.

  • Catalytic Fuel Synthesis Reactors
    A full-stream, catalytic fuel synthesis system capable of converting the full syngas stream from the TCPDU to liquid fuels is being installed. Independent reactors are available for testing multiple synthesis catalysts or reactor conditions for comparative fuel synthesis studies. This system is expected to be online in 2010.

The TCUF facility and laboratories are unique in that they have the capability to analyze products online over a wide spectrum of chemical compositions. A collection of dedicated analytical instruments has been assembled and connected to the process with special sampling methods. The analytical equipment used throughout the TCUF includes:

  • Molecular beam mass spectrometers
  • Rapid cycle gas chromatographs
  • Non-dispersive infrared sensors
  • Thermal conductivity detectors
  • Paramagnetic O2 sensor
  • Residual gas analyzers.

The TCUF's analytical capability can also be taken on the road to provide online sampling at a customer's site.

Learn more about the Thermochemical Users Facility (PDF 853 KB). Download Adobe Reader.