Dynamic simulation and optimization of Chemical Looping Hydrogen Production in inter-connected moving bed reactors
Keywords:
Chemical looping hydrogen production, dynamic model, isothermal, optimization, inter-connected reactor systemAbstract
The current study investigates the dynamics of the chemical looping hydrogen production (CLHP) process, which consists of three interconnected moving-bed reactors (MBRs) that circulate a solid oxygen carrier (OC). The OC undergoes redox reactions in each unit to generate various product gases, including the target hydrogen (H2) gas, which is a highly efficient fuel source. The first two reactors known as the reducer and oxidizer respectively, were simulated in the MATLAB environment. The reactions are assumed to be conducted within a multi-tubular vessel while the pellet-grain model (PGM) was employed to represent the gas-solid interaction within a single particle, due to its reliability proven through several studies. The initial test data for reducer was retrieved from previous investigations, involving experimental verification and evaluation of the flow rates. Solid achieved the target phase for the oxidizer process, though a significant amount of unconverted gas (~ 27.5 %) was present in the outlet stream due to flow restrictions. The analysis was extended in this study by testing under reduced pellet sizes, where impurity concentrations as low as 6.5 mol% were achieved. The system was further investigated by varying the reaction temperature, which exhibited sufficient conversions (> 95%) for implementing a carbon capture strategy. A critical trade-off point was observed at 1070 K, which can be utilized for developing a temperature control system within the reactor. The oxidizer was simulated using reducer output flows to represent inter-connectivity, aimed at describing continuous production characteristics. Co-current and counter-current flows were compared for the reactor design, where the former regime was considered suitable due to a larger effective reaction zone. Due to several restrictions from the reducer, the process within the oxidizer could only be tested under the effect of reaction temperature. The optimum H2 concentration (~ 34 mol%) recorded at 950 K, which must be controlled within a narrow range (± 5K) to ensure consistent quality. These findings indicated the importance of maintaining isothermal operation, which could be potentially solved through an effective tubular reactor design. The third unit called combustor was not included due to unavailability of the reaction kinetics, serving as prospects for further research in the field. Control system and scale-up design implications of the two reactors were further discussed, serving as essential information for future investigations. The findings presented within this study are vital contributions to the presently available research on CLHP, which is an important process for producing affordable green hydrogen fuel.
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