Chemical Looping Partial Oxidation of Methane for Co-Production of Syngas and Electricity: Process Modeling and Systems Analysis

摘要

Chemical looping partial oxidation of methane (CLPOM) to synthesis gas is studied as an alternative to conventional auto-thermal reforming (ATR). For comparative analysis, performance models are developed based on mass and energy balances of the processes as functions of process design, operating parameters, and oxygen carrier (OC) properties. Sensitivity analyses are performed at the process and systems levels for CLPOM incorporated into a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant and a preliminary cost analysis is conducted. Process-level and systems-level results show that while CLPOM with currently available OCs is less fuel-efficient than ATR (requiring approximate to 48% more fuel for a 50 000 barrels per day GTL reference plant), it is economically competitive because of its potential to co-produce electricity (approximate to 240 MW). The comparative economic advantage of CLPOM can be significantly increased through improvements in OC performance.