Simulation Study of Tokyo Tech Rotary-Type Solar Reactor on Solar Field Test at CSIRO in Australia

This paper describes the performance evaluation of the Tokyo Tech Rotary-Type Solar Reactor (TTR-Solar reactor) by simulation study on the solar field test (20kW input) conducted at CSIRO in Australia. The rector is developed for solar hydrogen production by two-step water splitting with reactive ceramics. The simulation design of the solar reactor consists of three parts (1) release of oxygen, (2) heat exchange (generation steam), and (3) hydrogen evolution. In the solar field test at CSIRO, the O2 -releasing step was examined, and the data obtained by the test were analyzed using an FEM simulation software (COMSOL multiphysics) in terms of concentration flux, reaction temperature, oxygen releasing reaction, and heat conductance. For a practical operation of the proto-type model at a solar field, we have investigated a desirable operation condition which achieved sufficient reaction temperature of the reactive ceramics in the reactor.© 2011 ASME