Volume 7: Urban Energy Systems: Building, Transport, Environment, Industry, and Integration

Performance Analysis of Chemical Looping Hydrogen Production System Driven by Solar Energy Xiangyu Liu, Hui Hong*, Hao Zhang, Hongguang Jin

Abstract

aking methane as fuel gas, nickel oxide as oxygen carrier and calcium oxide as carbon dioxide adsorbent, a solar-driven chemical-looping hydrogen production system was established and the hydrogen production performance of the system under different reaction conditions was explored. The results showed that, if the concentrating solar energy was used as the heat source of the fuel reactor, the ratio of nickel to methane was 2.25, the ratio of water to methane was 1, the temperature of the fuel reactor was between 450 and 600 oC, the pressure of the fuel reactor was at atmospheric pressure, and the ratio of calcium oxide to methane was 1, a better system performance could be achieved. The key process experiments are carried out in the honeycomb reactor. The results show that the separation of CO2 generated in the reaction process is and significant way to improve the efficiency of chemical looping hydrogen production. Using CaO to capture and separate CO2 in the reaction process could improve the effect of hydrogen production. Also, the huge energy consumption caused by gas separation could be avoided. This study presents a method for efficiently using low-temperature solar energy for hydrogen production.

Keywords solar energy; hydrogen production; chemical looping cycle; honeycomb reactor.