A new approach for fuel injection into a solar receiver/reactor: Numerical and experimental investigation

Abstract

An innovative and efficient design of solar receivers/reactors can enhance the production of clean fuels via concentrated solar energy. This study presents a new jet-type burner nozzle for gaseous feedstock injection into a cavity solar receiver inspired from the combustion technology. The nozzle design was adapted from a combustion burner and successfully implemented into a solar receiver and studied the influence of the nozzle design on the fluid mixing and temperature distribution inside the solar receiver using a 7 kW solar simulator and nitrogen as working fluid. Finally, a thorough computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed and validated against the experimental results. The CFD results showed a variation of the gas flow pattern and gas mixing after the burner nozzle adaptation, which resulted an intense effect on the heat transfer inside the solar receiver.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

solar reactor / nozzle / CFD / heat transfer / mixing and recirculation

References

[1] Yadav D, Banerjee R. A review of solar thermochemical processes. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016, 54: 497–532

[2] Alonso E, Romero M. Review of experimental investigation on directly irradiated particles solar reactors. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2015, 41: 53–67

[3] Villafán-Vidales H, Arancibia-Bulnes C, Riveros-Rosas D, Romero-Paredes H, Estrada C. An overview of the solar thermochemical processes for hydrogen and syngas production: Reactors, and facilities. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, 75: 894–908

[4] Kogan M, Kogan A. Production of hydrogen and carbon by solar thermal methane splitting. I. The unseeded reactor. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2003, 28(11): 1187–1198

[5] Ozalp N, Kanjirakat A. Lagrangian characterization of multi-phase turbulent flow in a solar reactor for particle deposition prediction. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2010, 35(10): 4496–4507

[6] Hirsch D, Steinfeld A. Solar hydrogen production by thermal decomposition of natural gas using a vortex-flow reactor. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2004, 29(1): 47–55

[7] Ozalp N, JayaKrishna D. CFD analysis on the influence of helical carving in a vortex flow solar reactor. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2010, 35(12): 6248–6260

[8] Abanades S, Kimura H, Otsuka H. Hydrogen production from thermo-catalytic decomposition of methane using carbon black catalysts in an indirectly-irradiated tubular packed-bed solar reactor. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2014, 39(33): 18770–18783

[9] Kodama T, Gokon N, Cho H S, Matsubara K, Etori T, Takeuchi A, Yokota S, Ito S. Particles fluidized bed receiver/reactor with a beam-down solar concentrating optics: 30-kWth performance test using a big sun-simulator. In: Proceedings of AIP SolarPACES 2015. Cape Town: AIP Publishing, 2016, 120004

[10] Kodama T, Enomoto S I, Hatamachi T, Gokon N. Application of an internally circulating fluidized bed for windowed solar chemical reactor with direct irradiation of reacting particles. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 2008, 130(1): 014504

[11] Roeb M, Sattler C, Klüser R, Monnerie N, de Oliveira L, Konstandopoulos A G, Agrafiotis C, Zaspalis V, Nalbandian L, Steele A, Stobbe P. Solar hydrogen production by a two-step cycle based on mixed iron oxides. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 2006, 128(2): 125–133

[12] Muhich C L, Ehrhart B D, Al-Shankiti I, Ward B J, Musgrave C B, Weimer A W. A review and perspective of efficient hydrogen generation via solar thermal water splitting. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Energy and Environment, 2016, 5(3): 261–287

[13] Bertocchi R, Karni J, Kribus A. Experimental evaluation of a non-isothermal high temperature solar particle receiver. Energy, 2004, 29(5): 687–700

[14] Kodama T, Bellan S, Gokon N, Cho H S. Particle reactors for solar thermochemical processes. Solar Energy, 2017, 156: 113–132

[15] Levêque G, Bader R, Lipiński W, Haussener S. High-flux optical systems for solar thermochemistry. Solar Energy, 2017, 156: 133–148

[16] Ophoff C, Abedini-Najafabadi H, Bogaerts J, Ozalp N, Moens D. An Overview of variable aperture mechanism in attempt to control temperature inside solar cavity receivers. In: Proceedings of ASTFE TFEC-2018. Fort Lauderdale: ASTFE, 2018, 747–758

[17] Costandy J, Ghazal N, Mohamed M T, Menon A, Shilapuram V, Ozalp N. Effect of reactor geometry on the temperature distribution of hydrogen producing solar reactors. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2012, 37(21): 16581–16590

[18] Klein H H, Rubin R, Karni J. Experimental evaluation of particle consumption in a particle seeded solar receiver. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 2008, 130(1): 011012

[19] Rodat S, Abanades S, Flamant G. Co-production of hydrogen and carbon black from solar thermal methane splitting in a tubular reactor prototype. Solar Energy, 2011, 85(4): 645–652

[20] Koepf E, Villasmil W, Meier A. Pilot-scale solar reactor operation and characterization for fuel production via the Zn/ZnO thermochemical cycle. Applied Energy, 2016, 165: 1004–1023

[21] Mullinger P, Jenkins B. Industrial and process furnaces: Principles, design and operation. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008, 47–57

[22] Spalding D B. Combustion and Mass Transfer. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1979, 199–217

[23] Abedini-Najafabadi H, Ozalp N. Development of a control model to regulate temperature in a solar receiver. Renewable Energy, 2017, 111: 95–104

[24] Vanierschot M. Fluid mechanics and control of annular jets with and without swirl. Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree. Leuven: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2007, 15–20

[25] Heylen J. Design, manufacturing and experimental testing of a novel solar reactor. Dissertation for the Masters Degree. Leuven: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2026, 17–18

[26] Chien M H, Ozalp N, Morrison G. Computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer analysis of vortex formation in a solar reactor. Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications, 2015, 7(4): 041007–041008

[27] Chase M W. NIST-JANAF Thermochemical Tables: Monograph 9. Maryland: NIST, 1998, 1062

[28] Yang W C. Handbook of Fluidization and Fluid-particle Systems. New York: CRC press, 2003, 13–15

[29] Plawsky J L. Transport phenomena fundamentals. New York: CRC press, 2014, 919–938

[30] Fries T, Omerović S, Schöllhammer D, Steidl J. Higher-order meshing of implicit geometries—part I: Integration and interpolation in cut elements. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 2017, 313: 759–784

[31] Levêque G, Abanades S. Design and operation of a solar-driven thermogravimeter for high temperature kinetic analysis of solid-gas thermochemical reactions in controlled atmosphere. Solar Energy, 2014, 105: 225–235

[32] Karabay H, Wilson M, Owen J M. Predictions of effect of swirl on flow and heat transfer in a rotating cavity. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 2001, 22(2): 143–155

[33] Witze P O. Centerline velocity decay of compressible free jets. AIAA Journal, 1974, 12(4): 417–418

[34] Ball C, Fellouah H, Pollard A. The flow field in turbulent round free jets. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 2012, 50: 1–26

[35] Dhotre M, Joshi J. Design of a gas distributor: Three-dimensional CFD simulation of a coupled system consisting of a gas chamber and a bubble column. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2007, 125(3): 149–163

[36] Chan C, Lam K. Centerline velocity decay of a circular jet in a counterflowing stream. Physics of Fluids, 1998, 10(3): 637–644

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature