Modeling and simulation of waste tire- based power generation system using Aspen Plus
Sara Yabandeh, Ahmad Hajinezhad, Seyed Farhan Moosavian, Reza Fattahi
Abstract
• An integrated model for biomass gasification was developed using Aspen Plus. • The produced syngas is utilized in a gas turbine for power generation. • Investigated the effects of key operating parameters on gasifier and power performance. • Identified optimal conditions for enhanced syngas composition and conversion efficiency. thermal valorisation of carbon-rich solid waste, such as end-of-life tires, offers a promising pathway for syngas production and power generation. This study presents the design and simulation of an integrated air-blown gasification and power generation system using waste tires as the feedstock, developed in Aspen Plus V14. The system's performance was analyzed under varying operational conditions, including gasification temperature (700–1200°C), equivalence ratio (ER, 0.05–1.00), air-to-biomass (A/B) ratio (0.5–1.5), and moisture content (MC, 5–40 wt%). Results indicate that increasing the temperature to the 850–950°C range enhances syngas quality, with H₂ rising from 9.1% to 15.2% and CO from 18.3% to 23.6%, while CH₄ decreases from 3.8% to 1.1% and CO₂ from 16.5% to 12.8%. The syngas lower heating value (LHV) increases from 15.3 to 19.7 MJ/kg, and cold gas efficiency (CGE) improves from 59% to 74%. Optimal ER is around 0.30, maximizing CO and minimizing CO₂ formation, though LHV drops with increasing ER due to fuel dilution and over-oxidation. Higher MC (>10 wt%) leads to a substantial drop in LHV, from 18.6 to 13.2 MJ/kg, and CGE, from 70% to 52%, due to the additional energy required for water vaporization and a reduced char.