GAS-L: Gasification terminology

[Reedtb2@cs.com]

Dear Harry and All: 

Harry's example below of the water gas reaction with carbon (coal) is certainly one example of gasification.  Since coal is 70-90% fixed carbon, many people think that is the only "gasification" reaction.  

However, biomass is only 20-30% fixed carbon, so the million gasifiers of WWII were primarily pyrolytic and only secondarily carbon reactions.....

So our gasification umbrella is quite large...

Yours truly,      TOM REED          BEF GASWORKS

In a message dated 1/28/02 4:24:13 AM Mountain Standard Time, Harry.Parker@ttu.edu writes:


> Hello all,
>  
> We have to get our terms clarified.  To me gasification is the reaction of carbon with steam, but some of you may call it the water gas shift reaction too.
>  
> C + H2O  <---> CO + H2  
>  
> This reaction is highly endothermic since you are "unburning" water.    The combustible hydrocarbons you get from organic matter pyrolysis are a bonus.  
>  
> <><><>
>  
> On another topic, we need to keep asking the proponents of fuel cells where their H2 comes from.  The above endothermic reaction results in real processes being rather inefficient, usually about 50%.  Methane reforming is endothermic too.
>  
> CH4 + H2O  ---> 3H2 + CO 
>  
> Harry
>