MONITORING OF TRANSPORTATION NETWORK OF CARBONIZATION GASES IN COGENERATION PROJECTS

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance and efficiency of a transmission system of carbonization gas to the combustion chamber of a burner. The gas transportation network (GTN) consists of removing the gases from the chimney of the furnaces, which pass through pipes until they reach the burner. A heating system was built surrounding the pipe that leads the carbonization gases to avoid the condensation of gases and the generation of wastewater in the pipes. These gases were named trace gases and guided in the opposite direction to the carbonization gases. This study monitored of the temperature of the GTN by analyzing different points of the process with thermocouples attached on the pipes. The correlation between the various temperatures in the sampling points determined the Pearson’s correlation coefficient to 95% of probability and a regression between the variables that had a significant association. The average temperature of carbonization gases in the chimney outlet was 116ºC, and it entered the burner with an average temperature of 166.7ºC, providing an increase of 50.7ºC on the temperature. The average temperature in the burner chimney outlet for trace gas was 218.35ºC, and it was released to the atmosphere with a temperature of 125.2ºC. The thermal loss was 93.15ºC. The GTN that uses trace gas is presented as an alternative to the flow of gas carbonization. This system is effective regarding non-condensing gases through the pipes, allowing a better use of energy and avoiding the generation of undesirable effluents.