CuO-SiO2 Particle Development and Experimental Apparatus for Chemical Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling (CLOU)

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a clean coal technology. It allows a nearly pure CO2 exhaust from a carbon based fuel burning power plant, which allows for more cost effective carbon sequestration. Chemical Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling (CLOU) is a subset of CLC that specialized in the transfer of oxygen from the air to a fuel reactor using a solid oxygen-carrier particle. The purpose of this paper is to explore the coating of silicon dioxide particles with a copper ammonium nitrate complex for use in a CLOU system. The coated-silica showed promise as a CLOU material and was able to be demonstrated at loadings of 20 wt% copper oxide (CuO). This material also proved to have better surface distribution of CuO than previous wet impregnation methods with equivalent loading, leading to a theoretical increase in long term usage. An experimental apparatus was created and modelled after a packed bed system, allowing all fluid flows and heating to be done without the removal of the particles. This system proved effective for a bench-scale design, but scaling to an industrial system may prove challenging.