Sintering and agglomeration characteristics of industrially prepared CaMn0.5Ti0.375Fe0.125O3-δ perovskite oxygen carrier in chemical looping combustion

The development of oxygen carrier particles that can be prepared on an industrial scale with good cycling stability remains a challenge in the field of chemical looping. In this work, a perovskite oxygen carrier (CaMn0.5Ti0.375Fe0.125O3-δ) was prepared by an industrial-scale spray drying granulation and tested on a fluidized bed thermogravimetric analyzer for long-term chemical looping combustion. The results showed that the attrition of oxygen carrier particles originated from irregular parts of the fresh particle surface early in the cycle, and the chemical stress on particles gradually increased with the number of redox cycles, increasing the attrition and sintering of the particles. In addition, as the cycle proceeds, the perovskite structure was destroyed and the oxygen carrier reacted chemically with the quartz tube wall and the air distribution plate leading to bonding. The deep redox cycling reactions indicated that agglomeration of particles occurred mainly in the reduction stage, with the bed entering repeated periods of defluidization during the 37th-43rd and 47th-55th cycles due to the changes in particle bonding and bed pressure. Fixed bed experiment showed that particle activation came from an increase in the active area of the particles during the cycle, independent of whether they were fluidized or not. In addition, agglomeration started at the contact surface between the air distribution plate and the particles, resulting in blocked oxidation of the particles and deepening agglomeration due to excessive reduction of the particles.