P1: Gasification in Gasifier Chamber CFD Simulation

Gasification in Gasifier Chamber, P1 Radiation Model CFD Simulation

Description

This project simulates a gasification process within a gasifier chamber using ANSYS Fluent, focusing on the P1 radiation model to capture heat transfer as carbon-based substances are converted into renewable energy sources. The simulation combines this radiation modeling approach with the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) and the Species Transport model to accurately represent the multi-faceted physics involved in gasification.

The 3D geometry represents a two-piece cylindrical gasifier chamber, meshed using an unstructured grid totaling 219,170 elements.

Methodology

Turbulence was resolved using the k-epsilon model, with heat transfer captured through the P1 radiation model — an appropriate choice for optically thick, participating media such as the reacting gas mixture found within a gasifier chamber. The Species Transport model was applied with volumetric reactions, using a CHEMKIN mechanism to define 5 chemical reactions involving 8 distinct species, capturing the chemistry driving the gasification process itself.

The Discrete Phase Model tracked injected fuel and water particles as discrete entities moving through the domain, with precisely defined inlet conditions for both fuel and water injection, alongside specialized wall and outlet boundary treatments suited to the gasifier's internal environment.

The simulation used a pressure-based solver with the energy equation activated, SIMPLE pressure-velocity coupling, and second-order discretization schemes applied for improved accuracy, with initialization strategies selected to support stable convergence given the complexity of the coupled physics involved.

Conclusion

Results include 3D temperature and velocity contours, velocity vector fields, and particle tracking visualizations for both the fuel and water droplets injected into the chamber. Together, these results characterize how radiation, chemical reaction, and multiphase particle transport interact within the gasifier — illustrating the combined thermal and chemical environment that governs the conversion of carbon-based fuel into usable syngas, and providing insight directly relevant to gasification plant design and process optimization in renewable energy applications.