We have used Komar’s Auger/Extrusion Feeders successfully to control the input rate for several different types of biomass gasification processes while feeding diverse types of waste biomass. In our most recent project developments that use acoustic power to intensify the gasification process, the biomass plug (that typically forms in an extrusion tube during feeding to minimize air infiltration) is continuously disrupted by pressure fluctuations resulting from acoustic power inputs. Therefore, we used the Komar feeder to control the biomass throughput rate, and we added an intermediate stage composed of a pneumatic feeding system enabled by creating a low-pressure zone at the bottom of the gasification reactor. The biomass feed is sucked into the gasification process; low-pressure steam and recycle gases also flow into the bottom of the gasification reactor along with the biomass feed.
