A 300 W laboratory reactor system for chemical-looping combustion with particle circulation

Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) is a method to burn gaseous fuels with inherent separation of carbon dioxide. A continuously operated laboratory reactor system for chemical-looping combustion with two interconnected fluidized beds was designed and built. This chemical-looping combustor was designed to operate with a fuel flow corresponding to 100–300 W. The CLC system was operated successfully using a highly reactive nickel-based oxygen-carrier. Furthermore, tests were carried out to determine the degree of gas leakage between the reactors. Although there was some leakage between the fuel and air reactors, it is low enough to enable evaluation of the combustion results. The combustion tests showed a high conversion of the natural gas to carbon dioxide, indicating that the particles are suitable for chemical-looping combustion. No methane was detected in the gas from the fuel reactor, and the fraction of carbon monoxide was in the range 0.5–3%.