Design of a 10 MW Particle-Flow Reactor for Syngas Production by Steam-Gasification of Carbonaceous Feedstock Using Concentrated Solar Energy

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 6540-6547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Maag ◽  
Aldo Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Flow Reactor ◽  
Steam Gasification ◽  
Particle Flow ◽  
Syngas Production ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy

scholarly journals Techno-Economic Assessment of Solar-Driven Steam Gasification of Biomass for Large-Scale Hydrogen Production

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 462
Author(s):  
Houssame Boujjat ◽  
Sylvain Rodat ◽  
Stéphane Abanades
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biomass Gasification ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
H2 Production ◽  
Steam Gasification ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy ◽  
Land Cost

Solar biomass gasification is an attractive pathway to promote biomass valorization while chemically storing intermittent solar energy into solar fuels. The economic feasibility of a solar gasification process at a large scale for centralized H2 production was assessed, based on the discounted cash-flow rate of return method to calculate the minimum H2 production cost. H2 production costs from solar-only, hybrid and conventional autothermal biomass gasification were evaluated under various economic scenarios. Considering a biomass reference cost of 0.1 €/kg, and a land cost of 12.9 €/m2, H2 minimum price was estimated at 2.99 €/kgH2 and 2.48 €/kgH2 for the allothermal and hybrid processes, respectively, against 2.25 €/kgH2 in the conventional process. A sensitivity study showed that a 50% reduction in the heliostats and solar tower costs, combined with a lower land cost of below 0.5 €/m2, allowed reaching an area of competitiveness where the three processes meet. Furthermore, an increase in the biomass feedstock cost by a factor of 2 to 3 significantly undermined the profitability of the autothermal process, in favor of solar hybrid and solar-only gasification. A comparative study involving other solar and non-solar processes led to conclude on the profitability of fossil-based processes. However, reduced CO2 emissions from the solar process and the application of carbon credits are definitely in favor of solar gasification economics, which could become more competitive. The massive deployment of concentrated solar energy across the world in the coming years can significantly reduce the cost of the solar materials and components (heliostats), and thus further alleviate the financial cost of solar gasification.

Experimental Investigation of a Packed-Bed Solar Reactor for the Steam-Gasification of Biomass Charcoal

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Piatkowski ◽  
Christian Wieckert ◽  
Aldo Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Calorific Value ◽  
Packed Bed ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Steam Gasification ◽  
Solar Simulator ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Syngas Production ◽  
Solar Reactor ◽  
Graphite Plate ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy

Gasification of coal, biomass, and other carbonaceous materials for high-quality syngas production is considered using concentrated solar energy as the source of high-temperature process heat. The solar reactor consists of two cavities separated by a SiC-coated graphite plate, with the upper one serving as the radiative absorber and the lower one containing the reacting packed bed that shrinks as the reaction progresses. A 5-kW prototype reactor with an 8 cm-depth, 14.3 cm-diameter cylindrical bed was fabricated and tested in the High-Flux Solar Simulator at PSI, subjected to solar flux concentrations up to 2300 suns. Beech charcoal was used as a model feedstock and converted into high-quality syngas (predominantly H2 and CO) with packed-bed temperatures up to 1500 K, an upgrade factor of the calorific value of 1.33, and an energy conversion efficiency of 29%. Pyrolysis was evident through the evolution of higher gaseous hydrocarbons during heating of the packed bed. The engineering design, fabrication, and testing of the solar reactor are described.

scholarly journals Solar Thermochemical Green Fuels Production: A Review of Biomass Pyro-Gasification, Solar Reactor Concepts and Modelling Methods

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1494
Author(s):  
Stéphane Abanades ◽  
Sylvain Rodat ◽  
Houssame Boujjat
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Yield Enhancement ◽  
System Level ◽  
Thermochemical Conversion ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Syngas Production ◽  
Gasification Process ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy ◽  
Solar Thermochemical

This paper addresses the solar thermochemical conversion of biomass or waste feedstocks based on pyro-gasification for the clean production of high-value and energy-intensive fuels. The utilization of solar energy for supplying the required process heat is attractive to lower the dependence of gasification processes on conventional energy resources and to reduce emissions of CO2 and other pollutants for the production of high-value chemical synthetic fuels (syngas). Using concentrated solar energy to drive the endothermal reactions further allows producing more syngas with a higher gas quality, since it has not been contaminated by combustion products, while saving biomass resources. The solar-driven process is thus a sustainable and promising alternative route, enabling syngas yield enhancement and CO2 mitigation, thereby potentially outperforming the performance of conventional processes for syngas production. This review presents relevant research studies in the field and provides the scientific/technical knowledge and background necessary to address the different aspects of the solar gasification process. An overview of the available solar concentrating technologies and their performance metrics is first introduced. The solar gasifier concepts and designs that were studied from lab to industrial scale are presented, along with their main benefits and limitations. The different management strategies proposed to deal with solar energy variations are also outlined, as well as the major pilot-scale applications and large-scale system level simulations. A specific emphasis is provided on the spouted bed technology that appears promising for the gasification process. Finally, the main modeling approaches of pyro-gasification and kinetics for simulation of gasifiers are described. This study thus provides a detailed overview of the efforts made to enhance the thermochemical performance of solar-assisted biomass gasification for synthetic fuel production.

scholarly journals Waste and Solar Energy: An Eco-Friendly Way for Glass Melting

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Isabel Padilla ◽  
Maximina Romero ◽  
José I. Robla ◽  
Aurora López-Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Glass Melting ◽  
Glass Network ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy ◽  
Calcium Source ◽  
The Aluminum Industry

In this work, concentrated solar energy (CSE) was applied to an energy-intensive process such as the vitrification of waste with the aim of manufacturing glasses. Different types of waste were used as raw materials: a hazardous waste from the aluminum industry as aluminum source; two residues from the food industry (eggshell and mussel shell) and dolomite ore as calcium source; quartz sand was also employed as glass network former. The use of CSE allowed obtaining glasses in the SiO2-Al2O3-CaO system at exposure time as short as 15 min. The raw materials, their mixtures, and the resulting glasses were characterized by means of X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal analysis. The feasibility of combining a renewable energy, as solar energy and different waste for the manufacture of glasses, would highly contribute to circular economy and environmental sustainability.

Syngas Production from Two-Stage Sorption-Enhanced Steam Gasification of Sewage Sludge over Bifunctional Ni-Ca Catalyst

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 4997-5005
Author(s):  
Xiaoxia Yang ◽  
Shengshen Gu ◽  
Amanj Kheradmand ◽  
Yijiao Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Steam Gasification ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Syngas Production

Behavior of a Heat-Protective Material Based on Al2O3 and SiO2 Fibers under Exposure to Concentrated Solar Energy Flux

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kh. Suleimanov ◽  
V. G. Babashov ◽  
M. U. Dzhanklich ◽  
V. G. Dyskin ◽  
M. I. Daskovskii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Flux ◽  
Protective Material ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy ◽  
Solar Energy Flux

scholarly journals Solid-State Redox Kinetics of CeO2 in Two-Step Solar CH4 Partial Oxidation and Thermochemical CO2 Conversion

Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 723
Author(s):  
Mahesh Muraleedharan Nair ◽  
Stéphane Abanades
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Kinetic Models ◽  
Oxygen Carrier ◽  
Co2 Conversion ◽  
Oxidation Reactions ◽  
Redox Kinetics ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy ◽  
Ceria Reduction ◽  
Kinetics Of

The CeO2/CeO2−δ redox system occupies a unique position as an oxygen carrier in chemical looping processes for producing solar fuels, using concentrated solar energy. The two-step thermochemical ceria-based cycle for the production of synthesis gas from methane and solar energy, followed by CO2 splitting, was considered in this work. This topic concerns one of the emerging and most promising processes for the recycling and valorization of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The development of redox-active catalysts with enhanced efficiency for solar thermochemical fuel production and CO2 conversion is a highly demanding and challenging topic. The determination of redox reaction kinetics is crucial for process design and optimization. In this study, the solid-state redox kinetics of CeO2 in the two-step process with CH4 as the reducing agent and CO2 as the oxidizing agent was investigated in an original prototype solar thermogravimetric reactor equipped with a parabolic dish solar concentrator. In particular, the ceria reduction and re-oxidation reactions were carried out under isothermal conditions. Several solid-state kinetic models based on reaction order, nucleation, shrinking core, and diffusion were utilized for deducing the reaction mechanisms. It was observed that both ceria reduction with CH4 and re-oxidation with CO2 were best represented by a 2D nucleation and nuclei growth model under the applied conditions. The kinetic models exhibiting the best agreement with the experimental reaction data were used to estimate the kinetic parameters. The values of apparent activation energies (~80 kJ·mol−1 for reduction and ~10 kJ·mol−1 for re-oxidation) and pre-exponential factors (~2–9 s−1 for reduction and ~123–253 s−1 for re-oxidation) were obtained from the Arrhenius plots.

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