A solar thermochemical fuel production system integrated with fossil fuel heat recuperation

Abstract Thermochemical cycling (TC) is a promising means of converting solar energy and storing it in chemical fuels. Isothermal solar TC has the potential of achieving high solar-to-fuel efficiencies contingent on effective gas-phase heat recovery at high temperatures. We propose an approach of simultaneously recovering waste heat and unreacted gas species (e.g. H 2 O or CO 2 ) downstream the isothermal TC reactor by taking advantage of endothermic reactions of certain fossil fuels (e.g. CH 4 ). Such comprehensive utilization and the syngas produced enable a polygeneration system for simultaneous power and methanol production with the possibility of eliminating the self-generation power plant that is conventionally needed for methanol production. The scheme is proposed based on the type of splitting reaction in isothermal TC, and optimization of the polygeneration system is discussed with solar energy conversion efficiency as the objective. Fossil Fuel Consumption Rate of methanol production is about 22 GJ/ton, lower than typical values in current industrial processes. Compared with direct solar reforming or direct combustion of the same amount of fossil fuels, this new approach features lower carbon emission per unit calorific value of fuel obtained due to the incorporation of the isothermal TC upstream.

[1]  Ali Abbas,et al.  Analysis of CO2 utilization for methanol synthesis integrated with enhanced gas recovery , 2016 .

[2]  R. Pitz-Paal,et al.  Heat recovery concept for thermochemical processes using a solid heat transfer medium , 2014 .

[3]  S. Haile,et al.  High-temperature isothermal chemical cycling for solar-driven fuel production. , 2013, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[4]  Sejin Kwon,et al.  Effects of thermal and chemical surface–flame interaction on flame quenching , 2006 .

[5]  Ulrich Vogt,et al.  Solar Thermochemical CO2 Splitting Utilizing a Reticulated Porous Ceria Redox System , 2012 .

[6]  S. Jensen,et al.  Hydrogen and synthetic fuel production from renewable energy sources , 2007 .

[7]  Paulo Eduardo Batista de Mello,et al.  Thermodynamic study of an EFGT (externally fired gas turbine) cycle with one detailed model for the ceramic heat exchanger , 2012 .

[8]  W. Chueh,et al.  High-Flux Solar-Driven Thermochemical Dissociation of CO2 and H2O Using Nonstoichiometric Ceria , 2010, Science.

[9]  Christian Sattler,et al.  Isothermal Water Splitting , 2013, Science.

[10]  N. Dave,et al.  Comparative-Assessment of Catalytic Partial Oxidation and Steam Reforming for the Production of Methanol from Natural-Gas , 1995 .

[11]  A. Steinfeld.  Solar thermochemical production of hydrogen--a review , 2005 .

[12]  Robert H. Williams,et al.  Co-production of hydrogen, electricity and CO2 from coal with commercially ready technology. Part A: Performance and emissions , 2005 .

[13]  A. Steinfeld,et al.  Solar-driven gasification of carbonaceous feedstock-a review , 2011 .

[14]  E. A. Fletcher,et al.  Hydrogen- and Oxygen from Water , 1977, Science.

[15]  Xinhua Liang,et al.  Efficient Generation of H2 by Splitting Water with an Isothermal Redox Cycle , 2013, Science.

[16]  Jean-Paul Lange,et al.  Methanol synthesis: a short review of technology improvements , 2001 .

[17]  Kj Krzysztof Ptasinski,et al.  Utilisation of reactor heat in methanol synthesis to reduce compressor duty––application of power cycle principles and simulation tools , 2002 .

[18]  Jane H. Davidson,et al.  Efficient splitting of CO2 in an isothermal redox cycle based on ceria , 2014 .

[19]  Greg P. Smestad,et al.  Review: Photochemical and Thermochemical Production of Solar Fuels from H2O and CO2 Using Metal Oxide Catalysts , 2012 .

[20]  Hongsheng Wang,et al.  Thermodynamic study on solar thermochemical fuel production with oxygen permeation membrane reactors , 2015 .