(243b) Integrated Solar-Thermochemical Reactor/Gas Recuperator for Upgrading Light Hydrocarbons

Concerning the reduction of fossil-energy use from industrial processes and transportation, concentrated solar power from parabolic reflectors is well suited for driving highly endothermic reactions that valorize CO₂ and/or light hydrocarbons. In this study, an openable, lab-scale, directly-irradiated, solar-thermochemical millireactor – integrated with gas recuperation architecture – is designed, built and tested under simulated sun. Coupled on a single plate, steam reformation of methane and water gas shift reactions are explored as a route to hydrogen production. It is shown that integrated reactor/recuperator technology has potential to efficiently utilize solar input for higher value chemical production (>50%), as well as reduce the capital cost of current state of the art solar-hydrogen systems.