Investigation of reactions in a fluidized bed reactor during chemical looping combustion of coal/steam with copper oxide-iron oxide-alumina oxygen carrier

Journal Article · Thu Oct 06 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Applied Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.09.045· OSTI ID:1400236

Siriwardane, Ranjani ^[1]; Benincosa, William ^[2]; Riley, Jarrett ^[3]; Tian, Hanjing ^[3]; Richards, George ^[1]

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1. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)
2. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States); Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
3. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)

This paper presents data on conversion of two different coals with a chemical looping oxygen carrier, CuO-Fe₂O₃-alumina, and over a range of conditions including steam and various levels of reduction of the oxygen carrier. Reactions of coal/steam/CuO-Fe₂O₃-alumina oxygen carrier and coal/steam/partially reduced CuO-Fe₂O₃-alumina oxygen carrier were investigated with Wyodak coal and Illinois #6 coal in a fluidized bed reactor. Temperature programmed reaction studies indicated that the oxygen carrier enhanced the steam gasification/combustion rates of both coals. Rates of gasification/combustion were higher with Wyodak coal (sub bituminous) than that with Illinois #6 coal (bituminous). In addition to the increase in reaction rates, the total moles of carbon that were gasified and combusted from coal/steam increased in the presence of the oxygen carrier. The reduced oxygen carrier promoted the water-gas shift reaction when reacted with synthesis gas in the presence of steam, but the reverse water gas shift reaction was observed when steam was not present. The partially reduced oxygen carrier enhanced the production of H₂ from coal/steam, which was different from the observations with un-reduced oxygen carrier. Water splitting reaction to produce H₂ was also observed with the reduced oxygen carrier. CuO-Fe₂O₃-alumina reacted with coal during the temperature ramp to 850 °C even in the absence of steam due to the chemical-looping oxygen uncoupling (CLOU) reaction. Here, the fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) analysis indicated the presence of volatile aromatics during the temperature ramp and these may have also contributed to the reactions with the oxygen carrier in the absence of steam. Increasing steam concentration had a negative effect on the CLOU reaction.

• Research Organization: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 1400236
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1397048
• Report Number(s): NETL-PUB-20596; PII: S0306261916313472
• Journal Information: Applied Energy, Vol. 183, Issue C; ISSN 0306-2619
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
03 NATURAL GAS
Reactions in chemical looping combustion of coal
Chemical looping combustion of coal
Oxygen carrier
Coal gasification
Fluidized bed
Chemical looping combustion reactions
Coal volatiles