Full-Loop Simulations of Chemical Looping Systems

This chapter describes the numerical simulations for different types of chemical looping systems—the single loop and the dual loop with different designs of fuel and air reactors and the connections between the two. Currently, different types of chemical looping systems have been proposed with various types of fuel reactors and air reactors. The typical single-loop chemical looping systems have a bubbling/spouted fluidized bed as the fuel reactor or a moving bed as the air reactor, while the other reactor is designed as the circulating fluidized bed riser. In the dual-loop chemical looping systems, both reactors are circulating fluidized beds, and they are connected in different ways where the particles’ circulation loops vary from one type to another. The full-loop simulation of chemical looping system can not only capture the detailed flow and reaction characteristics in the single reactors but also provides information about the solid circulation, gas leakage, and the coupling effects of the two reactors etc., which provide deeper insights into the operating behavior and performance of the designed chemical looping systems.