Abstract
The purpose of this work is to model a CHP system made up of an open-top downdraft gasifier and a 4kW single-cylinder diesel engine in operation at the Bioenergy & Biofuels Lab of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy). In particular, the present study aims to couple a multi-stage and multi-phase thermodynamic model of the gasifier with a 0-D thermodynamic model describing dual fuel combustion inside the engine.Preliminary results have been obtained in terms of gas composition and engine power output. Future developments include enhancements of the predictive capacity of the modelling strategy, technical improvements in terms of gasifier automation and engine fueling diversification and finally the realization of a systematic experimental campaign in order to describe the behavior of the energy system in several conditions.