Thermodynamic analysis of chemical looping combustion integrated oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene with CO2

Abstract Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP) with CO2 for propylene production is gaining increasing attention in recent years due to the advantages of CO2 utilization, improved yield, and avoiding over oxidation problem. However, the process being highly endothermic, requires burning of fossil fuels to meet its heat demand leading to considerable CO2 emission. Therefore, in the present study, a novel eco-friendly scheme for propylene production has been proposed for the first time that integrates ODP-CO2 with chemical looping combustion (CLC) and it has the dual benefit of inherent CO2 capture as well as its utilization. Further, the process is made self-sustained by recovering surplus heat and generating steam for power generation. Steady state plant wide simulation model of integrated CLC-ODP-CO2 scheme is developed using ASPEN plus software. Rigorous sensitivity analysis has been performed to optimize the operating temperature, pressure and molar flowrates of oxygen carrier, CO2 and propane resulting a maximum propylene yield of 79.1%. Overall energy analysis of the integrated CLC-ODP-CO2 scheme has resulted a net thermal efficiency of 73.48%.