Coal-fueled pressurized chemical looping combustion (PCLC) combined cycle

This is an ongoing multi-year project of contract PON2 127 1400003262 1 awarded with Energy Research Funds. A one-year continuation is requested for the 2016 fiscal year. This project is developing an advanced technology to burn coal with in-situ CO2 capture for base-load power generation based on the pressurized chemical looping combustion (PCLC) concept to provide a pathway to maintain and strengthen coal’s competitive advantage for Kentucky’s energy sector. In the previous years of this DEDI project extensive research on coal-fueled PCLC has been conducted including: Task-1, fluidized bed evaluation of cost-effective iron-based OC; Task-2, CLC using types of Kentucky’s coal; Task-3, effect of fluidized bed agents and operation pressure on char-fueled CLC process; Task-4, modeling the process in chemical looping reactor with char as fuel (on-going). The potential positive impacts from the proposed PCLC for large scale power generation include (1) provision of a higher-efficiency (~46.2%) alternate technology for electricity generation with CO2 capture; (2) a cost-effective means to control pollutants such as sulfur, Hg and trace metals; (3) NOx free flue gas; and (4) significant reduction to cost of electricity of a commercialized CLC power plant by using cost-effective iron-based oxygen carriers (OC). In the new budget year, we are proposing to perform two tasks as indicated in the 2015 proposal to DEDI, focusing on: (1) (Task 5) understanding performance of synthetic red mud based OC in CLC, and (2) (Task 6) fate of pollutants (sulphur or NOx) from coal/coal char, and deactivation of iron based OCs from coal impurities (coal ash & sulphur). Through the support, the following will be addressed: (1) better understanding of high performance red mud based OCs, such as the roles of the supports (Al2O3, TiO2 or SiO2) and alkali / alkaline earth metal; (2) understanding effect of different coal ashes on iron-based OCs developed by UKy-CAER, and developing an effective method or strategy to avoid agglomeration/sintering in reactors; (3) developing suitable methods to mitigate pollutant emission. $175,000 funding is requested for a one-year continuation of this project from DEDI. Beginning October 2015 through 2020, $75,000 per year of the funding requested for this project from DEDI will be used as cost share for a US-China CERC-ACTC DOE project of approximately $200,000 in federal funding per year to enable further CLC investigations.