Systems and methods for an indirect radiation driven gasifier reactor and receiver configuration

摘要

A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant are disclosed. Some embodiments may include a solar thermal receiver to absorb concentrated solar energy from an array of heliostats and a solar-driven chemical reactor. This chemical reactor may have multiple reactor tubes, in which particles of biomass may be gasified in the presence of a carrier gas in a gasification reaction to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide products. High heat transfer rates of the walls and tubes may allow the particles of biomass to achieve a high enough temperature necessary for substantial tar destruction and complete gasification of greater than 90 percent of the biomass particles into reaction products including hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas in a very short residence time between a range of 0.01 and 5 seconds.

主权项

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a thermal receiver having walls that form a cavity space inside the thermal receiver; a chemical reactor that has multiple reactor tubes located inside the cavity space of the thermal receiver, where in the multiple reactor tubes a chemical reaction driven by radiant heat is configured to occur, wherein the chemical reaction includes one or more of biomass gasification, steam methane reforming, methane cracking, steam methane cracking to produce ethylene, metals refining, and CO2 or H2O splitting to be conducted in this chemical reactor using the radiant heat; a source of inert particles that are inert to the chemical reaction that includes one or more of biomass gasification, steam methane reforming, methane cracking, steam methane cracking to produce ethylene, metals refining, and CO2 or H2O splitting to be conducted in this chemical reactor using the radiant heat at the temperature of 900 degrees C. or more, where the source of inert particles couples to the one or more feed lines to add the inert particles to the chemical reactor; one or more feed lines coupled to the chemical reactor to add inert particles for radiation absorption and re-radiate radiation with the chemical reactants for the chemical reaction; an indirect radiation driven geometry in the form of the cavity wall of the thermal receiver integrates and locates the chemical reactor inside the receiver, where the inner wall of the receiver cavity and the multiple reactor tubes exchange energy primarily by radiation creating an oven effect, allowing for the multiple reactor tubes to achieve a fairly uniform temperature profile along a length of the reactor tubes, where the multiple reactor tube design increases a surface area to radiate the radiation to the inert particles and other chemical reactants in the chemical reaction; a heat source to heat the chemical reactor to 900 degrees C. or more and to cause the indirect radiation driven geometry in the form of the cavity wall of the thermal receiver and multiple reactor tubes to supply the radiant heat to drive the chemical reaction with the fairly uniform temperature profile along the length of the reactor tubes; and an exit area of a gasification zone in the multiple reactor tubes, wherein reaction products have a temperature from the exit area of the gasification zone that equals or exceeds 900 degrees C.