Adaption of a 300 kWth Pilot Plant for Testing the Indirectly Heated Carbonate Looping Process for CO2 Capture from Lime and Cement Industry

The indirectly heated carbonate looping process (IHCaL) is a promising technology for decarbonizing one major emitter of CO2, the lime and cement industry. Another advantage of the IHCaL is the synergy with these industries using same solid materials. Recent pilot tests showed the feasibility of the IHCaL for applications in the power plant sector, bringing the technology to a readiness level (TRL) of five. However, the integration of the IHCaL into cement and lime plants, as well as the usability of spent sorbents as educts in such productions, has not yet been proven in industrially relevant conditions. In this study, the modification of an existing 300 kWth pilot plant for demonstrating the IHCaL process in industrially relevant conditions for cement and lime is described. Energy and mass balances are calculated. On the basis of operational cases, adaptations of the pilot plant are designed, and modifications are discussed. A reactor configuration with multiple interconnections between the reactors are assessed and operational parameters are defined. The resulting experimental setup enables a wide range of variation of the operational parameters for the pilot testing.