Solid Flux Measurement in Chemical Looping Gasification Based on Solid Samples

Chemical looping gasification is a novel dual fluidized bed technology for the conversion of solid feedstock to a nitrogen-free syngas without the need of pure oxygen. Recently, efforts have been made to advance chemical looping gasification towards autothermal operation. For autothermal operation, the solids flux between the two reactors becomes important, as it transports the required sensible heat in addition to the oxygen required for the process. As no reliable method exists to accurately measure the solids flux under process conditions without extensive calibration under such conditions, a method has been devised utilizing the process specifics of chemical looping gasification to allow for calibration of online measurement equipment without opening the reactor system. This method utilizes solid samples from coupling elements to calculate the solids flux with an overall uncertainty of +/- 15%.