Hydrogen production by steam-gasification of petroleum coke using concentrated solar power—III. Reactor experimentation with slurry feeding

Storage capacity assessment of liquid fuels production by solar gasification in a packed bed reactor using a dynamic process model

“…This analysis proposed a hybrid, continuously operational solar, entrained flow gasifier based on the experimentally proven solar vortex reactor [11,12], assuming that CST power drives gasification in the reactor volume when it is available and autothermal reactions in pure O 2 drive gasification, within the same volume, when solar energy is not available [8]. Although this system required a modest quantum of syngas storage, it was estimated to contribute as much as 15% of the plant's total capital cost and between 10% and 15% of the levelised cost of fuel [13].…”

“…Although this system required a modest quantum of syngas storage, it was estimated to contribute as much as 15% of the plant's total capital cost and between 10% and 15% of the levelised cost of fuel [13]. While the proposed hybrid solar vortex reactor enables a constant non-zero syngas output, there are several notable challenges to scaling this reactor to the same capacity as a pressurised, autothermal entrained flow gasifier [8,11,12]. These challenges include maintaining a clean window through which CST energy is introduced to the reactor volume, and because the window prevents the reactor from being operated above 1 bara [11,12].…”

“…While the proposed hybrid solar vortex reactor enables a constant non-zero syngas output, there are several notable challenges to scaling this reactor to the same capacity as a pressurised, autothermal entrained flow gasifier [8,11,12]. These challenges include maintaining a clean window through which CST energy is introduced to the reactor volume, and because the window prevents the reactor from being operated above 1 bara [11,12]. In comparison, with this reactor concept, the indirectly irradiated packed bed reactor, has been proven to be operationally robust at a scale of 150 kW th and could also feasibly operate in a pressurised environment (although this has not yet been experimentally demonstrated).…”

Cold test with a benchtop set-up for fluidized bed reactor using quartz sand to simulate gasification of coal cokes by concentrated solar radiation

“…Among them, solar gasification is a promising key technology for thermochemical conversion, which can produce clean gaseous fuels from solid carbonous material by using high-temperature solar heat [4][5][6][7][8][9]. The greatest advantage of solar-driven gasification is the storage of a significant fraction of solar energy as the chemical energy of the synthesized fuel molecule; as such, the fuels can reduce the net CO 2 emissions to the environment and conserve fossil fuels.…”

Use of concentrated radiation for solar powered glass melting experiments

“…A major part of the research into the use of concentrated solar radiation at very high temperatures has been motivated by the desire to generate high energy density thermochemical energy storage systems, see e.g. Diver et al (1992), Kodama (2003), Wieckert et al (2007), Neises et al (2012), Martinek & Weimer (2013), Tescari et al 2013), and the solar upgrading of carbonaceous materials (Zgraggen et al 2007), (Rodat et al 2010) and (Piatkowski et al 2011). These reaction schemes usually involve solar heating of combinations of gaseous and solid reactants to generate gaseous and solid products such as the two step water and CO2 splitting reactions involving intermediate metal oxides to generate hydrogen and/or synthesis gas (Steinfeld 2005), (Meier et al 2012), (Villasmil et al 2014) and (Neises et al 2012).…”