DOE OSTI2019
Chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling (CLOU) is a variant of chemical looping combustion that involves spontaneous release of gaseous oxygen in the fuel reactor, which enables efficient combustion of solid fuel char. The University of Utah has constructed a pilot-scale dual fluidized bed chemical looping process development unit (PDU) with a nominal thermal input of 200 kW. The CLOU oxygen carrier uses copper as the active metal, cycling between cupric (CuO) and cuprous (Cu2O) oxides. As an aid for design, troubleshooting and evaluation of the pilot system, a CFD model has been developed using CPFD Software’s Barracuda VR software. The 3D model includes both reactors, as well as loop seals and cyclone separators. Mechanisms describing CLOU reaction kinetics for cuprous oxide oxidation in the air reactor and cupric oxide reduction in the fuel reactor were adapted from previously done experimental work. Coal char kinetics were based on the carbon-hydrogen-nitrogen-oxygen-sulfur, CHNOS, method. Submodels for devolatilization, gasification, and homogenous gas-phase reactions used preexisting relationships in the literature. Results predict temperature profiles, concentration profiles, product gas composition, and CO¬2 capture efficiency. This paper presents results of a parametric study in which key operational variables were adjusted to determine the influence on simulated performance of the PDU. The adjusted variables include fuel feed rate, fuel particle size, total oxygen carrier inventory, oxygen carrier copper oxide loading, and oxygen carrier particle physical properties.