System performance evaluation
The performance evaluations for the system are based on 100 kg/h biomass feeding rate and steam to biomass ratio of 2 and 3; the STBR start from 1 as the formation of solid carbon, steam to biomass ratio <1 always means less efficient use of biomass resources.
Hydrogen combustion heat supply system
The net hydrogen production rate as a function of the STBR is shown in Figure 3. The net hydrogen production rate is a direct reflection of the syngas composition profile shown in Figure 2. In STBR 2, the H2 production rate increases with the STBR, while for a given STBR, a higher steam inlet temperature results in a higher H2 production rate. In STBR 3, both the STBR and steam inlet temperature make no difference in the composition as the system has reached the saturation condition due to the exhaustion of carbon elements. For the 100 kg/h biomass input rate, the maximum theoretical H2 production rate for biomass is around 13.2 kg/h.