Pilot Scale Demonstration of a 100-kWth Solar Thermochemical Plant for the Thermal Dissociation of ZnO

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Villasmil ◽  
M. Brkic ◽  
D. Wuillemin ◽  
A. Meier ◽  
A. Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Thermal Dissociation ◽  
Molar Fraction ◽  
Power Input ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Radiative Fluxes ◽  
Gaseous Products ◽  
Solar Reactor ◽  
Radiative Power

A solar-driven thermochemical pilot plant for the high-temperature thermal dissociation of ZnO has been designed, fabricated, and experimentally demonstrated. Tests were conducted at the large-scale solar concentrating facility of PROMES-CNRS by subjecting the solar reactor to concentrated radiative fluxes of up to 4477 suns and peak solar radiative power input of 140 kWth. The solar reactor was operated at temperatures up to 1936 K, yielding a Zn molar fraction of the condensed products in the range 12–49% that was largely dependent on the flow rate of Ar injected to quench the evolving gaseous products.

A Modular Ceramic Cavity-Receiver for High-Temperature High-Concentration Solar Applications

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Hischier ◽  
P. Poživil ◽  
A. Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Material Properties ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Power Input ◽  
Model Coupling ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Compound Parabolic Concentrator ◽  
Radiative Power ◽  
Reflective Coatings

A high-temperature pressurized air-based receiver is considered as a module for power generation via solar-driven gas turbines. A set of silicon carbide cavity-receivers attached to a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) are tested on a solar tower at stagnation conditions for 35 kW solar radiative power input under mean solar concentration ratios of 2000 suns and nominal temperatures up to 1600 K. A heat transfer model coupling radiation, conduction, and convection is formulated by Monte Carlo ray-tracing, finite volume, and finite element techniques, and validated in terms of experimentally measured temperatures. The model is applied to elucidate the effect of material properties, geometry, and reflective coatings on the cavity’s thermal and structural performances.

Experimental Investigation of Vortex Flow in a Two-Chamber Solar Thermochemical Reactor

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik E. Koepf ◽  
Matthew D. Lindemer ◽  
Suresh G. Advani ◽  
Ajay K. Prasad
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Flow Visualization ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Vortex Flow ◽  
Solar Reactor ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Reactor Geometry ◽  
Solar Thermochemical

Recent advances in the field of large-scale solar thermochemical processing have given rise to substantial research efforts and demonstration projects. Many applications of high-temperature solar-thermal technology employ an enclosed cavity environment, thus requiring a transparent window through which concentrated solar energy can enter. One configuration employed is a two-cavity reactor connected by a narrow aperture, where solar flux entering through the window is focused at the aperture plane before diverging into the lower chamber, where the chemical reaction occurs. For the Zn/ZnO thermochemical cycle where Zn is solar-thermally reduced from ZnO in a high-temperature cavity environment, effective removal of the product gas stream containing zinc vapor is of paramount importance to prevent fouling by condensation on the reactor window. Two argon-jet configurations, tangential and radial, located around the circumference of the upper chamber are used to control the gas flow within the reactor cavity. First, the tangential jets drive a vortex flow, and second, the radial wall jet travels across the window before converging at the reactor center line and turning downward to create a downward jet. The tangential jet-induced flow creates a rotating vortex, contributing to overall flow stability, and the radial jet-induced downward flow counters the updraft created by the vortex while actively cooling and sweeping clear the inner surface of the window. Flow visualization in a full-scale transparent model of the reactor using smoke and laser illumination is employed to characterize the effectiveness of aerodynamic window clearing and to characterize the processes by which a vortex flow develops and breaks down in a two-chamber solar reactor geometry. Based on a large dataset of flow visualization images, a metric is developed to define vortex stability over a wide range of flow conditions and identify an ideal operating range for which a vortex formation path is established that maintains stable flow patterns and removes product gases while minimizing the use of argon gas. The predominant influence of vortex instability and breakdown is identified and examined for the case of a beam-down, two-chamber solar reactor geometry.

The Potential of Photoelectrochemical Carbon Sinks

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias May ◽  
Kira Rehfeld
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Solar Fuels ◽  
Negative Emissions ◽  
Viable Approach ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut to limit global warming to 1.5-2C above preindustrial levels. Yet the rate of decarbonisation is currently too low to achieve this. Policy-relevant scenarios therefore rely on the permanent removal of CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere. However, none of the envisaged technologies has demonstrated scalability to the decarbonization targets for the year 2050. In this analysis, we show that artificial photosynthesis for CO<sub>2</sub> reduction may deliver an efficient large-scale carbon sink. This technology is mainly developed towards solar fuels and its potential for negative emissions has been largely overlooked. With high efficiency and low sensitivity to high temperature and illumination conditions, it could, if developed towards a mature technology, present a viable approach to fill the gap in the negative emissions budget.<br>

The Potential of Photoelectrochemical Carbon Sinks

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias May ◽  
Kira Rehfeld
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Solar Fuels ◽  
Negative Emissions ◽  
Viable Approach ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut to limit global warming to 1.5-2C above preindustrial levels. Yet the rate of decarbonisation is currently too low to achieve this. Policy-relevant scenarios therefore rely on the permanent removal of CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere. However, none of the envisaged technologies has demonstrated scalability to the decarbonization targets for the year 2050. In this analysis, we show that artificial photosynthesis for CO<sub>2</sub> reduction may deliver an efficient large-scale carbon sink. This technology is mainly developed towards solar fuels and its potential for negative emissions has been largely overlooked. With high efficiency and low sensitivity to high temperature and illumination conditions, it could, if developed towards a mature technology, present a viable approach to fill the gap in the negative emissions budget.<br>

scholarly journals Heat Transfer Simulation in a High Temperature Solar Reactor

2015 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 1810-1818 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Parthasarathy ◽  
P. Le Clercq
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Solar Reactor ◽  
Heat Transfer Simulation

scholarly journals ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION BY WASTEWATER FROM BROWN COAL PROCESSING ¬ A REMEDIATION CASE STUDY IN GERMANY

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arndt Wiessner ◽  
Jochen A. Müller ◽  
Peter Kuschk ◽  
Uwe Kappelmeyer ◽  
Matthias Kästner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Wastewater Disposal ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Phenolic Wastewater ◽  
Term Monitoring

The large scale of the contamination by the former carbo-chemical industry in Germany requires new and often interdisciplinary approaches for performing an economically sustainable remediation. For example, a highly toxic and dark-colored phenolic wastewater from a lignite pyrolysis factory was filled into a former open-cast pit, forming a large wastewater disposal pond. This caused an extensive environmental pollution, calling for an ecologically and economically acceptable strategy for remediation. Laboratory-scale investigations and pilot-scale tests were carried out. The result was the development of a strategy for an implementation of full-scale enhanced in situ natural attenuation on the basis of separate habitats in a meromictic pond. Long-term monitoring of the chemical and biological dynamics of the pond demonstrates the metamorphosis of a former highly polluted industrial waste deposition into a nature-integrated ecosystem with reduced danger for the environment, and confirmed the strategy for the chosen remediation management.

Infrared Camouflage Utilizing Ultrathin Flexible Large‐Scale High‐Temperature‐Tolerant Lambertian Surfaces

2021 ◽  
pp. 2000391
Author(s):  
Yun Huang ◽  
Binze Ma ◽  
Arnab Pattanayak ◽  
Sandeep Kaur ◽  
Min Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Infrared Camouflage
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