Supervisor:   Prof Pratik N Sheth

Topic: Oxy-Steam-CO₂ Gasification of RDF/Biomass mix to produce the hydrogen-rich producer gas

Background of the Research Work:

The mounting CO₂ emission and rapid depletion of fossil fuels are two significant challenges for sustaining growing energy requirements and keeping the environment clean. Biomass gasification using CO₂ as a gasifying agent may be one of the alternative techniques to tackle such emerging problems. In our recent studies, air-CO₂ and oxygen-enriched air-CO₂ biomass gasification are successfully conducted in the autothermal gasifier. The results reveal that the yield of CO in the producer gas increases compared to air gasification, resulting in a higher heating value of the producer gas. In another study, steam was used along with air in a gasifier to increase the hydrogen content of the producer gas. Extensive experimental work was carried out in a downdraft gasifier using air and steam. To summarize, the combination of air-steam, air-CO₂, and oxygen-enriched air-CO₂ gasification studies were conducted using the biomass.

Brief Description of the proposed research work:

The proposed project envisaged extensive gasification studies using a mixture of oxygen, steam and CO₂ as a gasifying agent. It is proposed to use different waste materials, such as agricultural residue (biomass) and refuse derived fuel (RDF), to produce the hydrogen-rich producer gas. The system's performance would be measured in terms of the cold gas efficiency, equivalence ratio and carbon conversion efficiency. The effect of various operating conditions will be found. The project involves using various equipment, such as a Pelletizer, Gasifier, Tar analysis setup, Steam generator, Steam superheater, Gas chromatograph, Thermogravimetric Analyzer, and Bomb Calorimeter. It is also proposed to improve the ASPEN Plus model developed in the previous studies.

Essential Minimum Qualification:

The candidate must be a postgraduate (M.E./M.Tech.) in Chemical/Mechanical/Energy/ Environmental Engineering or allied relevant disciplines with at least 60% marks.

Selected Publications:

• Pandey, B., P.N. Sheth and Prajapati, Y.K. "Tar cracking enhancement by air sparger installation in the combustion zone of the downdraft gasifier", Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol 166, pp. 106620, 2022.
• Pandey, B., P.N. Sheth and Prajapati, Y.K. "Air-CO2 and oxygen-enriched air-CO2 biomass gasification in an autothermal downdraft gasifier: Experimental studies", Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 270, pp.116216, 2022.
• Sharma, S. and Sheth, P.N., "Air-steam biomass gasification: experiments, modeling and simulation", Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 110, pp. 307 - 318, 2016

For a full list of Publications: https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/pilani/publications/?faculty=dr-pratik-n-sheth

 Financial Assistance

Full-time PhD students admitted into the PhD program are eligible to be considered for the fellowship of ₹34,000 or ₹37,000 per month as per intake qualifications. Consideration for the fellowship will be as per Institute norms, details of which are available in the PhD brochure on the admission website.

For details on the admissions process, refer (https://www.bitsadmission.com/phdmain.aspx).

The deadline to receive filled applications with the prescribed application fee is 17:00 hrs. on 25 November 2023.

For more details, contact:

Dr Pratik N Sheth

Professor & Head of Department,

Department of Chemical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani- 333031, Rajasthan. India.

Email pratik@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in

Mob: +91-9799212070

Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratik-sheth-52a02b34/

Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/5n7rfp23