Abstract
A new type of integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) with chemical-looping combustion and saturation for air is proposed and investigated. Chemical-looping combustion may be carried out in two successive reactions between two reactors, a reduction reactor (coal gas with metal oxides) and an oxidation reactor (the reduced metal with oxygen in air). The study on the new system has revealed that the thermal efficiency of this new-generation power plant will be increased by approximately 10–15 percentage points compared to the conventional IGCC with CO2 recovery. Furthermore, to develop the chemical-looping combustor, we have experimentally examined the kinetic behavior between solid looping materials and coal gas in a high-pressure fixed bed reactor. We have identified that the coal gas chemical-looping combustor has much better reactivity, compared to the natural gas one. This finding is completely different from the direct combustion in which combustion with natural gas is much easier than that with other fuels. Hence, this new type of coal gas combustion will make breakthrough in clean coal technology by simultaneously resolving energy and environment problems.
