Undergraduate Research · Summer 2026
Developing a laboratory-scale redox reactor for CO production.
Hi-TECS Research Group · Colorado School of Mines
I worked on reactor assembly, gas-delivery and instrumentation integration, and LabVIEW controls for a chemical-looping system designed to convert captured CO₂ into carbon monoxide.
The Project
REGENLOOP is a DOE-funded project led by the National Laboratory of the Rockies, with Alon Lidor as principal investigator. It investigates the conversion of captured CO₂ into CO, an intermediate used to produce synthetic fuels and chemicals.
The process uses a ceria-based oxide in a two-step chemical-looping cycle. Hydrogen first reduces the oxide, producing water. CO₂ then reoxidizes the material, producing CO in a separate reaction step.
These steps have different thermal demands: hydrogen reduction requires heat, while the CO₂ reaction releases it. The laboratory-scale system incorporates an external fluidized bed of inert particles to capture, store, and return thermal energy between steps.
My summer work focused on developing and integrating the experimental hardware and controls needed to investigate this process.
My Contributions
Mechanical Systems · Integration
I contributed to assembly of the laboratory-scale ceria-based redox reactor and preparation of its components for integration into the experimental setup.
This work supported the system’s planned use of an external fluidized bed for thermal energy capture and release.
Gas Handling · Instrumentation
I worked on integrating gas-delivery hardware, valves, and instrumentation with the reactor and data-acquisition system.
This connected the physical hardware with the temperature, pressure, and flow measurements needed for future experiments.
Controls · Automation
I developed the LabVIEW control architecture and interface to coordinate gas-flow commands, valve sequencing, measurement recording, and cycle timing.
The design also incorporated safety interlocks and emergency shutdown controls for validation during commissioning.
System Development · Test Preparation
I helped bring the reactor, gas handling, instrumentation, and controls together in preparation for automated reduction and oxidation cycles.
The resulting work provided a foundation for later commissioning, reaction testing, and thermal-performance measurements.
Inside the Project
Process Overview
The experimental setup brings together gas delivery, the redox reactor, thermal management, and downstream measurements to support alternating hydrogen-reduction and CO₂-oxidation steps.
The system flow diagram shows how these functions connect within the laboratory-scale process.
Hardware Integration
The piping and instrumentation diagram maps the reactor’s gas-handling connections, valves, and measurement points. It provides a shared reference for connecting the experimental hardware with the control and data-acquisition system.
LabVIEW-Based Reactor Control
I developed the LabVIEW controls to bring operating commands and measurements together in one interface. The system was designed to:
Outcomes and Next Steps
This study reached the system-development and pre-testing stage. Major hardware components were assembled or prepared for integration, and the LabVIEW control architecture and automated operating sequence were developed.
Experimental reaction and thermal-performance data were not collected during this study.
Finish integration, leak checks, and instrument calibration.
Verify valve sequencing, data acquisition, and safety interlocks.
Conduct hydrogen-reduction and CO₂-oxidation tests and measure the reactor’s temperature response.
Assess fluidized-bed energy capture and release to support future shell-and-tube system scale-up.
Research Communication · SURF 2026
My research poster brings together the project’s motivation, system flow diagram, instrumentation layout, LabVIEW interface, and next steps.
Demonstration of Lab-Scale Redox Cycle Reactor for CO Production
Research Team and Acknowledgments
I carried out this research with the Hi-TECS Research Group at Colorado School of Mines. I am grateful to Greg Jackson, Akbar Laksana, and Sandrine Ricote for their guidance and support throughout the project.
I also thank Rhushikesh Ghotkar, Alon Lidor, and Janna Martinek of the National Laboratory of the Rockies for their collaboration and technical guidance.
This work was supported by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) at Colorado School of Mines and contributed to the DOE-funded REGENLOOP project.
Explore More
Explore my projects in thermal-fluid systems, mechanical design, and experimental engineering.