The agnion Heatpipe-Reformer. A Promising Concept for ... - SGC

© agnion Technologies GmbH | 2012 

The agnion Heatpipe-Reformer. 

A Promising Concept for Small Scale 

Gasification. 

Thomas Kienberger 

agnion Technologies GmbH 

Sperl-Ring 4 

D-85276 Hettenshausen 

www.agnion.de

1. Introduction of the agnion Heatpipe-Reformer 

Heatpipe Reformer 

Plant Basics 

Process Integration 

2. Experimental Results from the Pfaffenhofen (GER) Pilot Plant 

Experimental Data 

Operational Availability 

3. Operational-data Operational data from the first commercial Plant in Grassau (GER) 

4. Summery/ Perspective 

© agnion Technologies GmbH | 2012

agnion – History 

� 2000–2004: Research on the core components of the Heatpipe-Reformer 

Technology at the Technical University of Munich 

� 2006: Bavarian State Minister of Economics awards “Bavarian Energy Award” 

� 2007: Foundation of agnion 

� 2008-2010: Development, construction and commissioning of Heatpipe- 

Reformer Pilot Plant at Pfaffenhofen (GER) and testing of the 

syngas and power generation 

� 2011: Development and Construction of CHP demonstration Plant in 

Grassau (GER) 

� 2012: New projects in Italy and Germany and Switzerland 

� Total Headcount: 50 

� Financing: MVP, KPCB, Wellington Partners, Waste Management 

© agnion Technologies GmbH | 2012 2

Heatpipe-Reformer Technology 

� Allothermal gasification processes basically differ by the 

solution of the heating process of the fuel particles and 

gasification agent 

� Solution of the core problem with the Heatpipe-Reformer 

Technology is achieved by separation of the steam 

gasification and the combustion process in two separate 

reactors that are thermally coupled by Heatpipes 

� Results in: 

� high heating values and 

syngas pressures (e.g. 4 bar(g)) 

� complete fuel conversion, residue combustion 

� high operation reliability because of separate control of 

combustor and gasifier 

� gas quality adequate for combination with high 

efficient multi port injection gas engine technology 

� gas quality adequate for SNG/CNG or fuel synthesis 

© agnion Technologies GmbH | 2012 3 

3

Flow Chart of Heatpipe-Reformer 

Technology with CHP Application 

Biomass 

Reformer 

Heatpipe 

heat flux 

Combustor 

Air 

Biomass 

Heatpipe-Reformer 

Syngas 

Steam 

Flue Gas 

Cyclone 

Char, Ash, RME 

Water RME Water 

Air 

Syngas- 

Cooler 

Flue Gas 

Cooler 

Water 

Syngas 

Filter 

Gas 

RME- Engine 

Scrubber 

Particle 

Filter 

ID Fan 

© agnion Technologies GmbH | 2012 4 4 

Ash 

G 

El. Power 

Stack 

Heat 

Flue Gas 

Steam/ 

Heat

Pilot Plant Pfaffenhofen 

• > 10.000h operation experiance 

• 500 kWth Input (Pellets) 

• 100-140 kWel Output 

• Research facility for CHP 

application and SNG 

synthesis 

© agnion Technologies GmbH | 2012 5 5

Measurement Program Pfaffenhofen Pilot-Plant 

Vol-% Vol-% 

Aim of the program 

� Understanding fundamental plant behavior 

� Find stable operation-points with high coldgas-efficiencies 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

Test parameter 

� Reformer temperature: 820°C-840°C 

� Reformer pressure: 4 bar(abs.) 

� Reformer fuel input: 77-122 kg/h 

� Steam excess ratio sigma: 2,4-3,6 [-] 

� Char inventory of the reformer bed: 49-62 

Vol-% 

H2 CO2 CO CH4 N2 

70 80 90 100 110 120 130 

Reformer fuel input [kg/h] 


Cold gas efficiency 

Cold Gas Efficiency 

80% 

75% 

70% 

65% 

60% 

55% 

50% 

45% 

40% 

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 

Char conversion [m-%] 

� Char-conversion is a highly sensitive 

parameter for the cold-gas-efficiency 

� Dependent on residence-time and 

temperature 

30% 

450 500 550 600 

Total fuel input [kW] 


Cold gas efficiency 

� Higher fuel input capacity � lower 

resident-times � less char conversion 

� Higher temperature � higher char 

conversion 

80% 

75% 

70% 

65% 

60% 

55% 

50% 

45% 

40% 

35% 

Operation points which 

tend to higher 

temperatures 

7

SPA Tar Analysis of Transient and Stationary Conditions 

Total tar concentration excluding BTX on dry 

basis [mg/Nm³] 

4500 

4000 

3500 

3000 

2500 

2000 

1500 

1000 

500 

0 

Engine Relevant Tar Concentration -> total tar excluding BTX 

before and after scrubber 

scrubber solvent 

in phaseequilibrium 

� Tar-reduction depends on the solvents phase-equilibrium 

� Higher tar loads lead to higher Bio-Diesel consumption 

before 

after scrubber 

reformer operation and char 

inventory of the reformer bed 

stabilized 


Tar Species from SPA-Analysis 

Tar species concentration in dry syngas 

[mg/Nm³] 

1000 

900 

800 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

Indan 

Indene 

Naphthalene 

before and after scrubber solvent in 

phase equilibrium 

2-Methylnaphthalene 

1-Methylnaphthalene 

Biphenyl 

Acenaphthylene 

Acenaphthene 

9 


Fluorene 

Phenanthrene 

Anthracene 

Fluorantene 

Pyrene 

Phenol 

before scrubber 

after scrubber 

o-Cresol 

m-Cresol 

p-Cresol

Correlation of Tar Concentration and Steam Ratio 

Total Tar incl. BTX [g/Nm³] 

10 

9 

8 

7 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

2,0 2,5 3,0 3,5 4,0 

s – steam excess ratio [-] 

� Main parameter for influencing the tar-content: Steam excess ratio s 


10

Measurement Program - Summary 

Vol-% Vol-% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

Summery of the measurement Program 

� Syngas Output: 140-390 kW 

� Cold gas efficiency: 50-70% � Depends highly on char conversion 

� Dry syngas LHV: 10-11 MJ/Nm³ 

� Tar-content 2 – 4 g/Nm³ (ex BTX) 

� Most important: Identification of a stable operation point with a high 

cold-gas efficiency 

H2 CO2 CO CH4 N2 

70 80 90 100 110 120 130 

Reformer fuel input [kg/h] 


Operational Availability 

Aim of the availability program 

� Show the technical fitness of the agnion- 

Heatpipe-Reformer 

Hours of operation per day 

24 

21 

18 

15 

12 

9 

6 

3 

0 

Test parameter 

Brennkammer combustor Reformer Gasmotor Gas-Engine 

Brennkammer Reformer Gasmotor 

Christmas Holyday 

In times of planed 

reformer shut-downs, the 

combustor is running. 

� 1200 h dedicated for determining the 

operational availability of the plant 

� Constant operation parameters (optimized 

operation point developed in the 

measurement program) 

End of the program 

combustor is still running. 


Hours of operation per day 

24 

16 

Operational Availability: Reformer 

8 

0 

� Hour of operation in availability test: 1481 h 

� Planed shut-down: 579 h 

� failure: 76 h 

� availability: 95,1 % 

Betrieb Operation Störung Failure Stillstand Planed shut-down 

Failures 

� Frozen sensors 

� Blocking in the feeding system 

� Wear in the char refeeder 


H ours of operation per day 

Operational Availability: Gas-Engine 

24 

16 

8 

0 

� Hour of operation in availability test: 1197 h 

� Planed shut-down: 792 h 

� failure: 96 h 

� availability: 92,6 % 

Betrieb Operation Störung Failure Stillstand Planed shut-down 

Failures 

� Knock-control system 

� Hörbiger-Valves untight 


Commercial Demonstration Plant Grassau 

� Location: Grassau (Germany) 

� Partner: Biomassehof Achental 

� Subsidies: BMU 

� 1.3 MW therm 400kW el 600kW Heat 

� Fuel: Start-up with pellets then 

change to wood-chips 

� Official inauguration: May 2012 

� Hours of operation reformer: 

approx. 1200h 

� Hours of operation gas-engine: 

approx. 1000h 


Operational Experience Grassau 

Operation with Wood-Pellets 

� Plant Start-Up with 

„NawaRo“-Wood-Pellets 

� With Pellets, plantspecifications 

can be reached. 

� High Carbon-Conversion and 

thus high cold-gas-efficiency 

� Gas-composition and gaspressure 

ideal for the agnionengine 

concept. 

Since 3 months operation with 

wood-chips 

� At the moment: Data analysis. 

Operational data available 

soon… 

Results: 

- Black: mass balance 

- Red: Simulation 

Data Amount Unit 

Fuel Heat-Pipe Reformer 181,3 kg/h 

Fuel Burning Chamber 30 kg/h 

H2 percentage (dry) 36,5 Vol% 

CO percentage (dry) 16 Vol% 

CO2 percentage (dry) 24,5 Vol% 

CH4 percentage (dry) 10,3 Vol% 

Data Amount Unit 

Syngas base results Syngas wet 343 346 kg/h 

Syngas 

composition (wet, 

molar fraction) 

Syngas dry 225 237 kg/h 

L. heating value (wet 

basis) 

1,9 2,1 kWh/kg 

Syngas power 633 711 kW 

H2 22,4 25,0 vol% 

CO 9,8 10,9 vol% 

CO 2 15,0 14,0 vol% 

CH 4 6,3 6,7 vol% 

N 2 7,8 8,4 vol% 

H 2O 38,4 35,0 vol% 


Outlook: Test of Fuel-Mixtures 

� By mixing wood-chips and various 

residues, the fuels chemical behavior 

can be adjusted on the needs of 

the fluidized bed. 

� Compacting and homogenizing 

the fuel leads to proper physical 

behavior 

� Various Mixtures (20 mm Pellets, WC 20%) 

Matrix: Wood Chips WC 20% 

Residues 

• Green-Waste 

• Cap-Wood-Residue 

• Landscape conservation material 

� Lab-Test show promise. Tests in 

Grassau will follow soon. 


Residue 

80 / 20 

60 / 40 30 / 70 

Wood 

Chips

Summary 

� By optimizing the char conversion, the Heatpipe-Reformer shows cold gas 

efficiencies of 70%. 

� The agnion Heatpipe-Reformer reaches an availability of more the 90% under 

commercial conditions. 

� The commercial plant in Grassau runs in wood-chips operation; the calculated 

specifications can be reached. 

� At the moment we work on expanding our fuel-band. Residues-Wood-Mixtures 

seem to be a solution. 

Thanks for you kind attantion 

© agnion Technologies GmbH | 2012 page 18

The agnion Heatpipe-Reformer. A Promising Concept for ... - SGC

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