AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Solarthermal Chemical Processing Using Particle Flow Reactors – Challenges and Opportunities
ALAN WEIMER, University of Colorado
Abstract Number: 18 Working Group: Invited by Conference Chair
Abstract Lewis and Nocera (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2006;103(43):15729-35) make a compelling case for solar energy powering the planet. While the world energy consumption rate is projected to double from 13.5 TW in 2001 to 27 TW by 2050 and to triple to 43 TW by 2100, more sunlight strikes the earth in 1 hr (4.3 x 10^20 J) than all of the energy currently consumed on the planet in 1 yr (4.1 x 10^20 J in 2001). Hence, “the sun has a unique role in sustainable energy production, in that it is the undisputed champion of energy; the resource base presented by terrestrial insolation far exceeds that of all other renewable energy sources combined”.
Concentrated solar energy can be used to reach high temperatures and drive strongly endothermic chemical reactions such as direct water splitting, metal oxide reduction for water splitting cycles, metal oxide carbothermal reduction, and pyrolysis or gasification of cellulosic biomass or other carbonaceous material. The efficiencies for such processes are typically higher than those of competing solar technologies because the energy from the sun is used to directly drive chemical reactions instead of first being converted to another energy form, e.g. electricity.
Fine particle flow transport reactors are often used for chemical processing at temperatures above 1200oC where radiation heat transfer to the fine solids flowing through the reaction tube drives rapid reaction and the heating of gases that are transparent to radiation. This presentation will review several solarthermal processes in which fine powders are transported and will identify challenge areas of interest for researchers in the field of aerosol science and engineering.