1. Department of Chemical Engineering
IIT, Kharagpur
SEMINAR – I (CH69001)
by
Pradeep Kumar Mudavath
23CH60R58
Experimental Evaluation of An Indirectly-Irradiated
Packed-Bed Solar Thermochemical Reactor For
Calcination-Carbonation Chemical Looping
1
2. • Introduction
o Solar Thermochemical Reactors
o Calcination-Carbonation Chemical Looping
o Energy Efficiency and Role of Metal Oxide Materials
o Indirectly-Irradiated Packed-Bed Reactor
• Experimental Setup
• Methodology
• Results
• Conclusion
• References
Contents
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3. INTRODUCTION
• What is a Solar Thermochemical Reactor?
• How does it work?
• Advantages of Solar Thermochemical
Reactors.
• Types of Solar Thermochemical reactors
(Direct & Indirect Reactors).
• Importance of Calcination – Carbonation
Chemical Looping Process.
o Promising Technology, Surface Area, Sintering,
Removes Water.
Photograph of inner structure in Solar
Thermochemical Reactor
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4. CALCINATION-CARBONATION CHEMICAL LOOPING
PROCESS
• It is a reversible chemical process for capturing (CO2) from
power plants and other industrial sources.
• The process uses a calcium-based sorbent, such as (CaCO3),
to absorb CO2.
• The sorbent is then heated to a high temperature, called
calcination, which releases the CO2.
• The CO2 can then be stored or used for other purposes.
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5. CALCINATION-CARBONATION CHEMICAL
LOOPING PROCESS
• Calcination step (first step):
o The sorbent is heated to a high temperature, 800-900 ° C.
o This causes the sorbent to decompose, releasing the CO2.
o The CO2 is then captured and stored.
• Carbonation step (second step):
o The sorbent is cooled and brought into contact with CO2-rich gas.
o The CO2 reacts with the sorbent to form CaCO3, which is then ready
to be heated again in the calcination step.
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6. ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ROLE OF METAL
OXIDE MATERIALS
• Energy efficiency and CO2 capture potential
o Reactor configuration.
o Type of solar collector used.
o Properties of the sorbent material.
• Role of metal oxide materials
o High surface area, High reactivity , Chemical
stability.
o Non-toxic, Non-corrosive, Non-reactive.
o Some Metal Oxide Materials used
Ca, Mg, Zn Oxides.
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7. INDIRECTLY-IRRADIATED PACKED-BED REACTOR
• Dual concentric cylindrical cavity
o Inner cylindrical cavity serves as
radiation receiver.
o Annular cylindrical cavity is reaction
chamber containing reactive particles.
• Experiment evaluation is done with
simulated HFSS.
• Performance is evaluated for
o Single calcination reaction step.
o Single calcination-carbonation cycle.
o Multiple consecutive calcination-
carbonation cycle.
Cross Section of Solar Packed Bed Reactor
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8. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
• HFSS : High-Flux Solar
Simulator
o 18 radiation modules(2.5
KW).
o Radiative power & mean
radiative flux (10.6 kW &
3.8 MW/m2).
• MFC: Mass Flow Controller.
• Ti , Tr are thermocouples.
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Schematic Diagram of assembled solar thermochemical reactor
9. • Solar Reactor
o Inner cylindrical cavity
(SiC) (high K).
o Outer annular cavity
(Mullite) (low K).
o Top and bottom
distribution plates.
o Particle screens, Gas
manifolds.
• DAQ: Data Acquisition.
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
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Photograph of assembled solar thermochemical reactor
10. METHODOLOGY
• Firstly, Pressure tests in reactor.
• Gas leakage using soap water.
• Operation controlled by changing sweep gas composition & radioactive
input.
• Six modules operated at arc current (70A, 85A, 100A) – total radioactive
power (1.2 kW, 1.6kW, 2.0 kW).
• To reduce thermal shock
o HFSS lamps operated at 10 min intervals (70A-100A).
o At shut down stage, reversed process.
• Extraction of solvent particles for determination of reaction extent.
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11. RESULTS – THERMAL PERFORMANCE
Time evolution of the sample mass
for the sorbent material—calcium
carbonate undergoing :
(e) multiple calcination–
carbonation consecutive cycles
(a–d) a single calcination–
carbonation cycle
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12. RESULTS – REACTOR REACTION EXTENT
Temporal temperatures
(a)inside the reactor reaction zone
(b)inside the insulation, for the calcination
reaction test (experimental run 1).
Temporal reaction extent, 𝑋r , for
(a) the calcination reaction test (experimental
run 1), (b) the one-cycle calcination–carbonation
reaction test (experimental run 2). 12
13. RESULTS – CO2 CAPTURE EFFICIENCY
XRD patterns for the calcium carbonate samples
Scanning electron microscopy images of samples
Both figures as-received and after on-flux experimental runs 1 and 3
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14. CHALLENGES AND FUTURE WORK
• Breakage of high temperature sealings which results in gas
leakage.
• Filling and removing solid reactants may be challenging and
impractical.
• Reactor performance improved by introducing heat conducting
and particle stabilizing fins in annular reaction zone.
• Materials developed in such a way that are resistant to
o High temperatures.
o Harsh chemical environment of reactor.
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15. CONCLUSION
• The first cyclic calcination-carbonation process in a solar packed-
bed reactor.
• The two-step process was studied for solar-driven CO2 capture and
thermochemical energy storage applications.
• Indirectly-irradiated packed-bed reactor was evaluated under HFSS
irradiation.
• Future implications for sustainable energy and CO2 reduction
o CO2 reduction in power plants by using solar reactors.
o The CO2 captured by the reactor could be used to make fuels and
chemicals that are carbon neutral. This would help to reduce our
reliance on fossil fuels.
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16. REFERENCES
• L. Reich, L. Yue, R. Bader, W. Lipiński, Towards solar thermochemical carbon dioxide
capture via calcium oxide looping: A review, Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 14 (2) (2014) 500–514,
http://dx.doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2013.05.0169.
• P. Fennell, B. Anthony (Eds.), Calcium and Chemical Looping Technology for Power
Generation and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture in: Woodhead Publishing Series in Energy,
Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, 2015.
• S. Pascual, P. Lisbona, M. Bailera, L.M. Romeo, Design and operational performance maps
of calcium looping thermochemical energy storage for concentrating solar power plants,
Energy 220 (2021) 119715, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.119715.
• W. Liu, H. An, C. Qin, J. Yin, G. Wang, B. Feng, M. Xu, Performance enhancement of
calcium oxide sorbents for cyclic CO2 capture: A review, Energy Fuels 26 (5) (2012) 2751–
2767, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ef300220x.
• J. Liu, Y. Xuan, L. Teng, Q. Zhu, X. Liu, Y. Ding, Solar-driven calcination study of a
calcium-based single particle for thermochemical energy storage, Chem. Eng.J. 450
(2022) 138140, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.138140.
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