Numerical simulation of fuel reactor for a methane-fueled chemical looping combustion using bubbling fluidized bed with internal particle circulation

Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) is recognized as a promising technique to efficiently and economically capture emitted carbon dioxide in common combustion processes. In this study, the bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) fuel reactor performance of the CLC system was examined through numerical simulation. The reduction reaction performance obtained from conventional BFB fuel reactor and BFB fuel reactor incorporated with internal particle circulation denoted as internal circulation bubbling fluidized bed reactor (ICBFB), were compared under the same fuel flow rate and operating conditions. By using CH4 as fuel and ilmenite as the oxygen carrier, it was found the reduction reaction can be enhanced by using the ICBFB fuel reactor due to particle circulation. The particle circulation increased the mixing and contact time between fuel and oxygen carrier that produced reduction reaction enhancement. Moreover, the simulation results indicated that higher reduction reaction performance can be achieved by higher reduction reaction temperature and initial oxygen carrier volume fraction. (c) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) is a promising technique for capturing carbon dioxide efficiently and economically. This study uses numerical simulation to compare the performance of conventional bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) fuel reactor and internal circulation bubbling fluidized bed reactor (ICBFB). The results show that the use of ICBFB can enhance the reduction reaction by increasing particle circulation and improving mixing and contact time between fuel and oxygen carrier.