The use of ilmenite as oxygen carrier with kerosene in a 300 W CLC laboratory reactor with continuous circulation

An ilmenite oxygen carrier was tested in a laboratory scale chemical-looping reactor with a nominal thermal capacity of 300 Wth. Ilmenite is a mineral iron–titanium oxide, which has been used extensively as an oxygen carrier in chemical-looping combustion. Two different kinds of fuels were used, a sulfur-free kerosene and one kerosene that contained 0.57 mass% sulfur. Both fuels were continuously evaporated and directly fed into the chemical-looping reactor. Experiments were conducted for 50 h with the sulfur-free kerosene and for 30 h with the sulfurous kerosene. CO2 yields above 99% were achieved with both types of fuel. A significant and lasting improvement in the oxygen carrier’s reactivity was observed, presumably an effect of using sulfurous kerosene. No evidence of sulfur was found on the particles’ surface.