(208d) The Syngas Chemical Looping Processes for Hydrogen and Electricity Co-Generation with Carbon Capture: Pilot Plant Development and Operation

Chemical looping technologies have evolved into a promising alternative for the efficient conversion of carbonaceous fuels to electricity and/or high value chemicals with minimal carbon emissions. With the exponential growth of research and publications in this field, chemical looping has expanded to encompass power and chemical production with in-situ gas separation. The Ohio State University (OSU) has successfully developed the syngas chemical looping (SCL) and coal direct chemical looping (CDCL) processes from laboratory studies to two fully integrated pilot scale demonstration facilities for the conversion of gaseous and solid fuels, respectively, to high purity H₂ and heat with nearly 100% CO₂ capture. The unique counter-current moving bed reactor design allows the OSU SCL process to achieve full fuel conversion to CO₂/H₂O while minimizing the solid circulation rate and has the capability of producing high purity H₂ for further chemical production.

The present paper summarizes key developments of the 250 kW_th â?? 3MW_th SCL pilot plant constructed at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). An overview of the process design, cold flow model studies, and construction will be provided. Operational challenges overcome in the SCL pilot plant included the development of auxiliary equipment such as a pilot-scale raw gas burner and baghouse. An advanced high temperature, high pressure solid flow measurement device, electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT), was also tested for instantaneous solid flow control in this chemical looping system. The SCL pilot plant has been successfully demonstrated to achieve nearly full syngas conversion. Start-up and operational results including solid circulation studies, process heat up, syngas conversion, and solids analysis will be presented and discussed.