Chemical looping combustion inside and outside CATO

The work described in this report is part of the activities in work package 2.3 of CATO.

Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) can be a interesting technique for producing clean energy. The main advantage of CLC over conventional processes is that direct contact between fuel and air is circumvented, so that carbon dioxide is obtained without nitrogen dilution and intrinsically expensive CO2 separation. This is achieved by contacting air and fuel via an intermediate oxygen carrier that is alternately exposed to oxidizing and reducing conditions. The heat produced during the exothermic oxidation reaction is used to drive the downstream gas turbine.

During the reduction reaction, which is usually endothermic, a mixture of CO2 and H2O is produced, from which pure CO2 can easily be obtained.