(774a) A Novel Fluidized Bed Hydrator for Steam Reactivation of Calcium-Based CO2 Sorbent

Calcium-based solid sorbents has been widely applied for the removal of acid gases, such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂), sulfur trioxide (SO₃), and hydrochloric acid (HCl), from coal-fired flue gas. Amid possible carbon dioxide (CO₂) regulations, scientists have explored ways to extend this technology for CO₂ removal especially from sizable point sources at low cost. Here at the Ohio State University (OSU), researchers have developed a 3-step CaO-based carbonation-calcination reaction (CCR) process that operates in the range of 450 – 950 °C for the simultaneous removal of both CO₂ and SO₂ from the post-combustion flue gas. The decay in sorbent reactivity for CO₂ capture over multiple reaction cycles poses a significant challenge to large-scale cyclic carbonation-calcination process. Thermal sintering at elevated temperatures and the subsequent loss in pore volume both contribute to decreasing CO₂ capture capacity. Intermediate hydration has been suggested to be one of the most promising approaches to overcome this limitation by regenerating the particle pore volume and surface area. However, most existing hydration studies have been performed at laboratory scale using thermogravimetric techniques, often investigating conditions not amenable to the 3-step CCR process. In addition, a reactor design specifically suited to high temperature steam hydration is warranted. Experimental data from such a reactor can offer insights to the mass transfer limitations associated with the gas-solid reaction of the extremely cohesive calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) particles under fluidized bed conditions. For the first time, this study reports the design of a bench-scale high-temperature steam hydrator for reactivation of CaO sorbent. The hydrator, consisting of a fluidized-bed reactor with additional internals such as an agitator and a cooling coil, was evaluated using cold-flow tests. Based on the results obtained, a high temperature reactor unit was constructed. The high-temperature steam hydration tests were performed at isothermal conditions in the range of 300-500 °C and 0.6-1.0 atm steam partial pressure. In particular, at an average temperature of 473 °C and P_H2O = 1 atm, the 30 min hydration conversion exceeded 70%. Sorbent reactivity toward CO₂ was substantially recovered by steam hydration and the correlation follows a linear trend. Lastly, the cooling coil design demonstrated a proof-of-concept for extracting the heat from this highly exothermic high temperature (>450 °C) reaction. This further expands the application of such reactor design beyond CO₂ capture, for other applications such as chemical heat pumps.