Numerical and experimental study of the influence of pressure work on pyrolysis of wood exposed to radiation

A wood pyrolysis model considering the influence of pressure work and gas property, to which were paid limited attention in previous researches, has been developed. Numerical results are compared with those of another two models without considering gas property and without considering pressure work. RESULTS show that the gas property hasn't a great effect to the pyrolysis process, but the pressure work significantly reduces the temperature and mass loss rate during pyrolysis. Pressure distribution in solid matrix in pyrolysis process has also been obtained. Experiment has also been conducted for validating the model, which indicates that the present model agrees with experiment better than the model without the effect of pressure work. It is concluded that pressure work in pyrolysis of wood is significant and should not be ignored.