3D modelling of a solar thermochemical reactor for MW scaling-up studies

Abstract

A lab-scale solar reactor, equipped with a porous CeO2 structure with dual-scale porosity for CO2 and H2O splitting, has been simulated and validated using available experimental results. The validated model was then used to scale-up the geometry to the MW scale and to investigate the benefits in the studied reactor. The larger reactors displayed partially better performance, but their potential was limited by the restricted thickness of the porous structure during scaling-up. This restriction accelerated the temperature uniformity in the CeO2 volume, followed by saturation and a steady-state effect with reduced O2 production. The validated model can be used for further reactor optimization, which should be addressed in combination with a dedicated plant design study for continuous carbon-neutral fuel production.