Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Modeling of a Solar Chemical Reactor for the Co-Production of Zinc and Syngas

Solar Energy ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kra¨upl ◽  
Aldo Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Chemical Reactor ◽  
Solar Furnace ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Power Flux ◽  
Zinc Production ◽  
Radiative Transfer Modeling

Radiation heat transfer within a solar chemical reactor for the co-production of zinc and syngas is analyzed by the Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. The reactor is treated as a 3D non-isothermal cavity-receiver lined with ZnO particles that are directly exposed to concentrated solar irradiation and undergo endothermic reduction by CH4 at above 1300 K. The analysis includes coupling to conduction/convection heat transfer and chemical kinetics. Calculation of the apparent absorptivity indicates the cavity’s approach to a blackbody absorber, for either diffuse or specular reflecting inner walls. Numerically calculated temperature distributions, zinc production rates, and thermal efficiencies are validated with experimental measurements in a solar furnace with a 5-kW prototype reactor. At 1600 K, the zinc production rate reached 0.12 mol/min and the reactor’s thermal efficiency exceeded 16%. Scaling up the reactor to power levels of up to 1 MW while keeping constant the relative geometrical dimensions and the solar power flux at 2000 suns results in thermal efficiencies of up to 54%.

Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Modeling of a Solar Chemical Reactor for The Co-Production of Zinc and Syngas

2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kra¨upl ◽  
Aldo Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Chemical Reactor ◽  
Solar Furnace ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Power Flux ◽  
Zinc Production ◽  
Radiative Transfer Modeling

Radiation heat transfer within a solar chemical reactor for the co-production of zinc and syngas is analyzed by the Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. The reactor is treated as a 3D nonisothermal cavity-receiver lined with ZnO particles that are directly exposed to concentrated solar irradiation and undergo endothermic reduction by CH4 at above 1300 K. The analysis includes coupling to conduction/convection heat transfer and chemical kinetics. A calculation of the apparent absorptivity indicates the cavity’s approach to a blackbody absorber, for either diffuse or specular reflecting inner walls. Numerically calculated temperature distributions, zinc production rates, and thermal efficiencies are validated with experimental measurements in a solar furnace with a 5-kW prototype reactor. At 1600 K, the zinc production rate reached 0.12 mol/min and the reactor’s thermal efficiency exceeded 16%. Scaling up the reactor to power levels of up to 1 MW while keeping constant the relative geometrical dimensions and the solar power flux at 2000 suns results in thermal efficiencies of up to 54%.

Experimental Investigation of a Vortex-Flow Solar Chemical Reactor for the Combined ZnO-Reduction and CH4-Reforming*

2001 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kra¨upl ◽  
Aldo Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Vortex Flow ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Chemical Conversion ◽  
Chemical Reactor ◽  
Solar Furnace ◽  
Reaction Products ◽  
Ch4 Reforming ◽  
Reactor Operating

The co-production of Zn and synthesis gas by the combined reduction of ZnO and reforming of CH4 has been performed using a vortex-flow chemical reactor in a high-flux solar furnace. The reactor operating temperature ranged between 1221 and 1481 K for an input solar power of 2.3 to 4.6 kW and mean solar flux intensities of 810 to 1609 kW/m2. The performance of the reactor was determined by conducting a complete mass and energy balance for the chemical process. The chemical conversion ranged between 83–100 percent. The thermal efficiency, defined as the portion of input solar power absorbed as sensible and process heat, was in the range 11–28 percent. The exergy efficiency for the closed cycle, defined as the ratio of the maximum amount of work that the products leaving the reactor could produce if were re-combined to the input solar power, was in the range 0.3–3.1 percent. Major sources of energy loss are re-radiation heat transfer through the reactor aperture, conduction heat transfer through the reactor walls, and the quenching of the reaction products.

Experimental Investigation of a Vortex-Flow Solar Chemical Reactor for the Combined ZnO-Reduction and CH4-Reforming

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kräupl ◽  
Aldo Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Vortex Flow ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Chemical Conversion ◽  
Chemical Reactor ◽  
Solar Furnace ◽  
Reaction Products ◽  
Ch4 Reforming ◽  
Reactor Operating

Abstract The co-production of Zn and synthesis gas by the combined reduction of ZnO and reforming of CH4 has been performed using a vortex-flow chemical reactor in a high-flux solar furnace. The reactor operating temperature ranged between 1032 and 1481 K for an input solar power of 2.3 to 4.6 kW and mean solar flux intensities of 810 to 1609 kW/m2. The performance of the reactor was determined by conducting a complete mass and energy balance for the chemical process. The chemical conversion ranged between 83–100%. The thermal efficiency, defined as the portion of input solar power absorbed as sensible and process heat, was in the range 11–28%. The exergy efficiency for the closed cycle, defined as the ratio of the maximum amount of work that the products leaving the reactor could produce if were re-combined to the input solar power, was in the range 0.3–3.1%. Major sources of energy loss are re-radiation heat transfer through the reactor aperture, conduction heat transfer through the reactor walls, and the quenching of the reaction products.

scholarly journals Experimental and Computational Investigations of Phase Change Thermal Energy Storage Canisters

2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 176-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mounir Ibrahim ◽  
Pavel Sokolov ◽  
Thomas Kerslake ◽  
Carol Tolbert
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Melting Time ◽  
Radiation Heat ◽  
Space Experiments

Two sets of experimental data for cylindrical canisters with thermal energy storage applications were examined in this paper: 1) Ground Experiments and 2) Space Experiments. A 2-D computational model was developed for unsteady heat transfer (conduction and radiation) with phase-change. The radiation heat transfer employed a finite volume method. The following was found in this study: 1) Ground Experiments, the convection heat transfer is equally important to that of the radiation heat transfer; Radiation heat transfer in the liquid is found to be more significant than that in the void; Including the radiation heat transfer in the liquid resulted in lower temperatures (about 15 K) and increased the melting time (about 10 min.); Generally, most of the heat flow takes place in the radial direction. 2) Space Experiments, Radiation heat transfer in the void is found to be more significant than that in the liquid (exactly the opposite to the Ground Experiments); Accordingly, the location and size of the void affects the performance considerably; Including the radiation heat transfer in the void resulted in lower temperatures (about 40 K). [S0199-6231(00)00304-X]

scholarly journals Evaluation of radiation heat transfer in porous medial: Application for a pebble bed modular reactor cooled by CO2 gas

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-127
Author(s):  
Kamel Sidi-Ali ◽  
Khaled Oukil ◽  
Tinhinane Hassani ◽  
Yasmina Amri ◽  
Abdelmoumane Alem
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Porous Medium ◽  
Free Convection ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
System Of Equations ◽  
Radiation Heat ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Free Convection Heat

This work analyses the contribution of radiation heat transfer in the cooling of a pebble bed modular reactor. The mathematical model, developed for a porous medium, is based on a set of equations applied to an annular geometry. Previous major works dealing with the subject have considered the forced convection mode and often did not take into account the radiation heat transfer. In this work, only free convection and radiation heat transfer are considered. This can occur during the removal of residual heat after shutdown or during an emergency situation. In order to derive the governing equations of radiation heat transfer, a steady-state in an isotropic and emissive porous medium (CO2) is considered. The obtained system of equations is written in a dimensionless form and then solved. In order to evaluate the effect of radiation heat transfer on the total heat removed, an analytical method for solving the system of equations is used. The results allow quantifying both radiation and free convection heat transfer. For the studied situation, they show that, in a pebble bed modular reactor, more than 70% of heat is removed by radiation heat transfer when CO2 is used as the coolant gas.

Numerical Investigation of a Symmetrical Combustion Burner and External Convection Heat Transfer Characteristics

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Li ◽  
Li Jia ◽  
Hui Yang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Heat Transfer Characteristic ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Transfer Characteristic ◽  
External Heat ◽  
Water Tank ◽  
Heat Transfer Characteristics ◽  
Radiation Heat

Combustion characteristic of natural gas (NG) in a symmetrical combustion chamber and external convection heat transfer characteristic of water flow has been investigated numerically. The burner using a combination of swirling premixed and jet diffusion flames to achieve high flame stability. The combined eddy dissipation model/finite rate chemistry (EDM/FRC) combustion models coupled with RNG k-ε turbulence model were applied to model turbulence combustion. The discrete transfer method (DTM) coupled with weighted sum of gray gas model (WSGGM) were applied to solve the radiation heat transfer. Accurate calculation results were obtained by coupling calculation of combustion in the combustion chamber and external water flow and heat transfer. The temperature fields, heat transfer characteristic in the combustor and water tank were obtained by numerical simulation. The effects of water inlet mass flow rate on combustion and external heat transfer characteristics were discussed. The results indicated that water flow has significant effect on external heat transfer. The temperature distribution is quite uniform in the water tank. Radiation heat transfer plays a dominant role of heat transfer in the combustor.

A CFD Assessment of Engine Core Zone Casing Heat Transfer

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zixiang Sun ◽  
Nicholas J. Hills ◽  
Richard Scott
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Radiation Heat Transfer ◽  
Convection Heat Transfer ◽  
Aircraft Engine ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Steady Flows ◽  
Radiation Heat ◽  
Core Zone ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Core

Abstract A systematic CFD investigation was conducted to assess the core zone (CZ) casing heat transfer of a large civil aircraft engine. Three key engine operating conditions, maximum takeoff (MTO), cruise (CRZ) and ground idle (GI) were analyzed. Steady flows were assumed. Turbulence was simulated using the realizable k-epsilon model in conjunction with the scalable wall function. Buoyancy effect was taken into account. Radiation was calculated using the discrete ordinate (DO) model. It was shown that the forced convection heat transfer dominates in most of the casing surface in the core zone, and radiation is of second importance in general. However, in some areas where both convection and radiation heat transfer are weak but the latter is relatively greater in magnitude than the former, radiation heat transfer could thus become dominant. In addition, the overall impact of radiation on casing heat transfer increases from MTO to CRZ and GI conditions, as the strength of engine load decreases. The overall effect of buoyancy on casing heat transfer is small, but could be noticeable in some local areas where flow velocity is low. The insight into heat transfer features on the engine core zone casing supported by quantified CFD evidences is the first in the public domain, as far as authors are aware.

Coupled Concentrating Optics, Heat Transfer, and Thermochemical Modeling of a 100-kWth High-Temperature Solar Reactor for the Thermal Dissociation of ZnO

2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Villasmil ◽  
T. Cooper ◽  
E. Koepf ◽  
A. Meier ◽  
A. Steinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Solar Flux ◽  
Solar Furnace ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Radiation Boundary Condition ◽  
Solar Reactor ◽  
Concentrated Solar Energy ◽  
Conversion Efficiencies

This work reports a numerical investigation of the transient operation of a 100-kWth solar reactor for performing the high-temperature step of the Zn/ZnO thermochemical cycle. This two-step redox cycle comprises (1) the endothermal dissociation of ZnO to Zn and O2 above 2000 K using concentrated solar energy, and (2) the subsequent oxidation of Zn with H2O/CO2 to produce H2/CO. The performance of the 100-kWth solar reactor is investigated using a dynamic numerical model consisting of two coupled submodels. The first is a Monte Carlo (MC) ray-tracing model applied to compute the spatial distribution maps of incident solar flux absorbed on the reactor surfaces when subjected to concentrated solar irradiation delivered by the PROMES-CNRS MegaWatt Solar Furnace (MWSF). The second is a heat transfer and thermochemical model that uses the computed maps of absorbed solar flux as radiation boundary condition to simulate the coupled processes of chemical reaction and heat transfer by radiation, convection, and conduction. Experimental validation of the solar reactor model is accomplished by comparing solar radiative power input, temperatures, and ZnO dissociation rates with measured data acquired with the 100-kWth solar reactor at the MWSF. Experimentally obtained solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiencies are reported and the various energy flows are quantified. The model shows the prominent influence of reaction kinetics on the attainable energy conversion efficiencies, revealing the potential of achieving ηsolar-to-chemical = 16% provided the mass transport limitations on the ZnO reaction interface were overcome.

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