Kinetic and hydrodynamic analyses of chemically reacting gas-particle flow in cupric chloride hydrolysis for the Cu-Cl cycle

The non-catalytic reaction of cupric chloride with steam to produce copper-oxy-chloride solid and hydrogen chloride gas is one of the most challenging steps in the copper-chlorine (Cu–Cl) thermochemical water splitting cycle of hydrogen production. Researchers at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology have designed a reactor in which a CuCl2 (aq) solution is atomized and reacted in a furnace where superheated steam is drawn in a counter-current stream. This study develops a new predictive model of the transport mechanisms of the hydrolysis reaction to predict the conversion of CuCl2(s) into the products. The hydrodynamic model estimates the residency time of the reactants in the reaction, and the kinetics predicts the gas-solid reaction through the shrinking core diffusion model (SCM). It is shown that the maximum conversion of CuCl2 is limited by the reactant velocity, reaction temperature, steam partial pressure and particle size. Results of the lab-scale experimental hydrolysis unit are presented and discussed.