Development of rotary reactor for evaluation of feedstock mixing effect on hydrothermal liquefaction
Okutomi, Koji
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129623
Description
Title
Development of rotary reactor for evaluation of feedstock mixing effect on hydrothermal liquefaction
Author(s)
Okutomi, Koji
Issue Date
2025-05-09
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Zhang, Yuanhui
Department of Study
Engineering Administration
Discipline
Agricultural & Biological Engr
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Hydrothermal Liquefaction
Rotary Reactor
Mixing Effects
Biocrude
Thermochemical process
Abstract
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) uses high temperature and pressure to convert biomass into biocrude and other byproducts. HTL mimics similar conditions that occur below ground on Earth which makes crude oil from biomass over millions of years. With HTL processes one can make biocrude oil in minutes, which explains its growing area of interest today. This is a thermochemical process in a family of other hydrothermal processes including hydrothermal gasification (HTG) and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), Elhassan et al. (2023). HTC typically occurs at lower temperatures of 180 – 300 ᵒC and lower pressures of 2 – 6 MPa. The main product of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is biochar, and it is a similar process to how coal naturally forms. On the other end of the spectrum, HTG occurs at higher temperatures of above 374 ᵒC and a pressure of 22 MPa. HTL falls in between at approximate temperatures of 250 – 374 ᵒC and pressures between 4 – 22 MPa. HTL uses water as a solvent and reactant in the process. Current lab-scale tubular HTL reactors are widely used for optimizing HTL conditions. It is advantageous over the larger batch reactors because it is easy to operate and quick data generation. However, tubular HTL reactors typically operate in a stationary position without mixing of the feedstock. Mixing in a hydrothermal liquefaction reactor could be influential to the HTL efficiency and quality of the product. By using rotation, the heat and mass transfer in the HTL reactor can be improved thus enhancing the HTL conversion efficiency and product quality. In this project, a rotational mechanism was designed, fabricated, and integrated into a heating furnace to establish a rotary HTL reactor system. The system is a lab scale system with approximate dimensions of 1.02 x 0.53 x 0.38 m. This new HTL reactor enhances greatly HTL research by allowing multiple reactions to be used simultaneously under different mixing conditions. Initial experiments were conducted to validate the system as well as test the mixing effects.
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