Thermodynamic and economic analysis of methane cycle carbon dioxide reforming thermally coupled with chemical looping combustion for liquid fuel production

Background: The utilization of greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and CH4, as feedstocks for the production of synthetic fuels and chemicals has gained noteworthy traction. Converting syngas produced by carbon dioxide and methane into liquid fuel through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is important method to address domestic oil shortage. Methods: However, the significant difference between the reforming and the combustion drive temperature can result in an energy level mismatch. Chemical looping combustion technology utilizes oxygen carriers to achieve graded utilization of energy, thereby reducing the irreversible losses in the conventional combustion process. This study conducted comprehensive thermodynamic and economic analysis of the chemical looping combustion coupled with methane carbon dioxide reforming (CLC-CCR) process compared to the conventional process (CCR). Significant Findings: The results demonstrate that the CLC-CCR system has higher efficiency of 53.10% compared to 50.69% in the CCR system, leading to 9.21% decrease in production costs for liquid fuel. Additionally, the CLC-CCR system increased liquid fuel output by approximately 5%, achieving impressive energy saving rate of 7.74% and significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 21.51%. Furthermore, the efficiencies and economic performance were introduced to the study, and optimization measures were proposed to improve the efficiency and economic outcomes benefits of the main components.