Review on dynamic process modeling of gasification based biorefineries and bio-based heat & power plants

There are several options for biomass valorization, either for the production of value-added products or for heat and power generation. Among the various concepts, gasification-based pathways attract the last years a lot of interest mainly because all the biomass components that consist of C and H can be converted into syngas (CO and H2) which in turn can be valorized for various applications such as heat & power, fuels and other bioproducts synthesis. On the one hand, many numerical studies on steady state process modeling have been performed to simulate the complex processes and to propose novel concepts for the effective design of a gasification based thermochemical route. On the other hand, dynamic process modeling is an important numerical tool to deeper understand the behavior of each process step under unsteady conditions and develop the appropriate control strategy. Within the framework of this concept, a review about the dynamic modeling approaches and the control strategies for the main process sections of biomass thermochemical conversion either via gasification or through direct combustion is realised. Methodologies towards the proper control of the main units, different tools and platforms that are used for the dynamic modeling and the control system design are presented and analyzed. Finally, the challenges that need to be overcome for the plantwide control of the thermochemical based systems are discussed.