Investigation of Chemical Looping Oxygen Carriers and Processes for Hydrocarbon Oxidation and Selective Alkane Oxidation to Chemicals

Download or read book Investigation of Chemical Looping Oxygen Carriers and Processes for Hydrocarbon Oxidation and Selective Alkane Oxidation to Chemicals written by Elena Yin-Yin Chung and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order to overcome these process limitations, the chemical looping technology platform presents an attractive opportunity to convert hydrocarbons to flexible products utilizing intermediate oxygen carriers rather than gaseous co-fed oxidants. This study compares the traditional co-feed approach to the chemical looping approach for selectively controlling both the OCM and selective n-butane oxidation reactions with a focus on overcoming the technical issues that prevented these processes from achieving commercial application. These experimental results are used in process simulations in order to model and compare the theoretical commercial co-feed system with the commercial chemical looping system. For example, previous work demonstrated that pressure and steam have an effect on methane conversion and C2+ selectivity with the OCM co-feed and chemical looping processes. Initial simulations demonstrate that with proper heat integration, the OCM chemical looping process exhibits promising reactor and process operations for an alternative direct approach to utilize methane. The processes demonstrate that the application of chemical looping can be used as a novel and efficient approach for the conversion of hydrocarbons, especially alkanes, to electricity with CO2 capture, syngas and chemicals. With the emerging challenge of climate change and the continued escalation of energy demands, innovative and flexible fuel conversion technologies are necessary and gaining recognition. Chemical looping technologies have the potential to not only reduce energy costs, but also to mitigate carbon emissions. Historically, the general concept of this reduction-oxidation mechanism has been suggested, but the process was never commercialized. Recent interests in carbon capture techniques have revitalized the adaptive chemical looping system. Chemical looping technologies can utilize both gaseous and solid fuels such as natural gas and coal, respectively, for power, hydrogen or chemical generation. However, the success of technological adoption requires a thorough understanding of the types of chemical looping techniques, the design considerations, and the reactor modes of configurations.