A 300kW Solar Chemical Pilot Plant for the Carbothermic Production of Zinc

In the framework of the EU-project SOLZINC, a 300-kW solar chemical pilot plant for the production of zinc by carbothermic reduction of ZnO was experimentally demonstrated in a beam-down solar tower concentrating facility of Cassegrain optical configuration. The solar chemical reactor, featuring two cavities, of which the upper one is functioning as the solar absorber and the lower one as the reaction chamber containing a ZnO/C packed bed, was batch-operated in the 1300–1500 K range and yielded 50 kg/h of 95%-purity Zn. The measured energy conversion efficiency, i.e., the ratio of the reaction enthalpy change to the solar power input, was 30%. Zinc finds application as a fuel for Zn/air batteries and fuel cells, and can also react with water to form high-purity hydrogen. In either case, the chemical product is ZnO, which in turn is solar-recycled to Zn. The SOLZINC process provides an efficient thermochemical route for the storage and transportation of solar energy in the form of solar fuels.

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A 300 kW Solar Chemical Pilot Plant for the Carbothermic Production of Zinc

Solar Energy ◽

10.1115/isec2006-99027 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

C. Wieckert ◽

E. Guillot ◽

M. Epstein ◽

G. Olalde ◽

S. Sante´n ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Plant ◽

Chemical Reactor ◽

Packed Bed ◽

Power Input ◽

Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽

Reaction Chamber ◽

Solar Absorber ◽

Optical Configuration ◽

Reduction Of Zno ◽

Eu Project

In the framework of the EU-project SOLZINC, a 300 kW solar chemical pilot plant for the production of zinc by carbothermic reduction of ZnO was experimentally demonstrated in a beam-down solar tower concentrating facility of Cassegrain optical configuration. The solar chemical reactor, featuring two cavities, of which the upper one is functioning as the solar absorber and the lower one as the reaction chamber containing a ZnO/C packed bed, was batch-operated in the 1300–1500 K range and yielded 50 kg/h of 95%-purity Zn. The measured energy conversion efficiency — ratio of the reaction enthalpy change to the solar power input — was 30%. Zinc finds application as a fuel for Zn-air batteries and fuel cells, and can also react with water to form high-purity hydrogen. In either case, the chemical product is ZnO, which in turn is solar-recycled to Zn. The SOLZINC process provides an efficient thermochemical route for the storage and transportation of solar energy in the form of solar fuels.

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Experimental Investigation of the Solar Carbothermic Reduction of ZnO Using a Two-cavity Solar Reactor

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.1639001 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 126 (1) ◽

pp. 633-637 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

T. Osinga ◽

U. Frommherz ◽

A. Steinfeld ◽

C. Wieckert

Keyword(s):

Carbothermic Reduction ◽

Chemical Conversion ◽

Chemical Reactor ◽

Reaction Chamber ◽

Solar Furnace ◽

Molar Ratio ◽

Solar Simulator ◽

Co2 Emission Reduction ◽

In Series ◽

Reduction Of Zno

Zinc production by solar carbothermic reduction of ZnO offers a CO2 emission reduction by a factor of 5 vis-a`-vis the conventional fossil-fuel-based electrolytic or Imperial Smelting processes. Zinc can serve as a fuel in Zn-air fuel cells or can be further reacted with H2O to form high-purity H2. In either case, the product ZnO is solar-recycled to Zn. We report on experimental results obtained with a 5 kW solar chemical reactor prototype that features two cavities in series, with the inner one functioning as the solar absorber and the outer one as the reaction chamber. The inner cavity is made of graphite and contains a windowed aperture to let in concentrated solar radiation. The outer cavity is well insulated and contains the ZnO-C mixture that is subjected to irradiation from the inner graphite cavity. With this arrangement, the inner cavity protects the window against particles and condensable gases and further serves as a thermal shock absorber. Tests were conducted at PSI’s Solar Furnace and ETH’s High-Flux Solar Simulator to investigate the effect of process temperature (range 1350-1600 K), reducing agent type (beech charcoal, activated charcoal, petcoke), and C:ZnO stoichiometric molar ratio (range 0.7–0.9) on the reactor’s performance and chemical conversion. In a typical 40-min solar experiment at 1500 K, 500 g of a ZnO-C mixture were processed into Zn(g), CO, and CO2. Thermal efficiencies of up to 20% were achieved.

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Experimental Investigation of the Solar Carbothermic Reduction of ZnO Using a Two-Cavity Solar Reactor

Solar Energy ◽

10.1115/isec2003-44020 ◽

2003 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. Osinga ◽

U. Frommherz ◽

A. Steinfeld ◽

C. Wieckert

Keyword(s):

Carbothermic Reduction ◽

Chemical Conversion ◽

Chemical Reactor ◽

Reaction Chamber ◽

Solar Furnace ◽

Molar Ratio ◽

Solar Simulator ◽

Co2 Emission Reduction ◽

In Series ◽

Reduction Of Zno

Zinc production by solar carbothermic reduction of ZnO offers a CO2 emission reduction by a factor of 5 vis-a´-vis the conventional fossil-fuel-based electrolytic or Imperial Smelting processes. Zinc can serve as a fuel in Zn-air fuel cells or can be further reacted with H2O to form high-purity H2. In either case, the product ZnO is solar-recycled to Zn. We report on experimental results obtained with a 5 kW solar chemical reactor prototype that features two cavities in series, with the inner one functioning as the solar absorber and the outer one as the reaction chamber. The inner cavity is made of graphite and contains a windowed aperture to let in concentrated solar radiation. The outer cavity is well insulated and contains the ZnO-C mixture that is subjected to irradiation from the inner graphite cavity. With this arrangement, the inner cavity protects the window against particles and condensable gases and further serves as a thermal shock absorber. Tests were conducted at PSI’s Solar Furnace and ETH’s High-Flux Solar Simulator to investigate the effect of process temperature (range 1350–1600 K), reducing agent type (beech charcoal, activated charcoal, petcoke), and C:ZnO stoichiometric molar ratio (range 0.7–0.9) on the reactor’s performance and chemical conversion. In a typical 40-min solar experiment at 1500 K, 500 g of a ZnO-C mixture were processed into Zn(g), CO, and CO2. Thermal efficiencies of up to 20% were achieved.

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Experimental Investigation of a Packed-Bed Solar Reactor for the Steam-Gasification of Biomass Charcoal

ASME 2008 2nd International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Volume 2 ◽

10.1115/es2008-54118 ◽

2008 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nicolas Piatkowski ◽

Christian Wieckert ◽

Aldo Steinfeld

Keyword(s):

Calorific Value ◽

Packed Bed ◽

Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽

Steam Gasification ◽

Solar Simulator ◽

High Quality ◽

Syngas Production ◽

Solar Reactor ◽

Graphite Plate ◽

Concentrated Solar Energy

Gasification of coal, biomass, and other carbonaceous materials for high-quality syngas production is considered using concentrated solar energy as the source of high-temperature process heat. The solar reactor consists of two cavities separated by a SiC-coated graphite plate, with the upper one serving as the radiative absorber and the lower one containing the reacting packed bed that shrinks as the reaction progresses. A 5-kW prototype reactor with an 8 cm-depth, 14.3 cm-diameter cylindrical bed was fabricated and tested in the High-Flux Solar Simulator at PSI, subjected to solar flux concentrations up to 2300 suns. Beech charcoal was used as a model feedstock and converted into high-quality syngas (predominantly H2 and CO) with packed-bed temperatures up to 1500 K, an upgrade factor of the calorific value of 1.33, and an energy conversion efficiency of 29%. Pyrolysis was evident through the evolution of higher gaseous hydrocarbons during heating of the packed bed. The engineering design, fabrication, and testing of the solar reactor are described.

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Plasma-chemical synthesis of YBa2Cu3O7–y / CuO granular composites

Materials Science ◽

10.31044/1684-579x-2021-0-3-32-37 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 32-37

Author(s):

Igor Karpov ◽

◽

Anatoly Ushakov ◽

Leonid Fedorov ◽

Lylya Irtyugo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chemical Synthesis ◽

Solid Phase Synthesis ◽

Solid Phase ◽

Chemical Reactor ◽

Reaction Chamber ◽

Plasma Chemical ◽

Plasma Chemical Reactor ◽

Phase Synthesis ◽

Pinning Centers ◽

Granular Composites

The possibility of synthesizing HTSC ceramics in the reaction chamber of a plasma-chemical reactor is shown. The method allows one to significantly reduce the process of solid-phase synthesis and obtain modified HTSC ceramics with a given content of non-superconducting additives that act as pinning centers.

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Modeling and validation of carbon dioxide absorption in aqueous solution of piperazine + methyldiethanolamine by PC-SAFT and E-NRTL models in a packed bed pilot plant: Study of kinetics and thermodynamics

Process Safety and Environmental Protection ◽

10.1016/j.psep.2020.05.010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 141 ◽

pp. 95-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Arash Esmaeili ◽

Zhibang Liu ◽

Yang Xiang ◽

Jimmy Yun ◽

Lei Shao

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Aqueous Solution ◽

Pilot Plant ◽

Packed Bed ◽

Carbon Dioxide Absorption ◽

Kinetics And Thermodynamics ◽

Pilot Plant Study

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Continuous biodiesel production under subcritical condition of methanol – Design of pilot plant and packed bed reactor with MnCO3/Na-silicate catalyst

Energy Conversion and Management ◽

10.1016/j.enconman.2018.05.028 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 168 ◽

pp. 494-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hui Liu ◽

Ivana Lukić ◽

Marija R. Miladinović ◽

Vlada B. Veljković ◽

Miodrag Zdujić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Plant ◽

Packed Bed ◽

Biodiesel Production ◽

Packed Bed Reactor ◽

Subcritical Condition

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Partial and Total Substitution of Zn by Mg in the Cu2ZnSnS4 Structure

Crystals ◽

10.3390/cryst10070578 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 578

Author(s):

Diana M. Mena Romero ◽

David Victoria Valenzuela ◽

Cristy L. Azanza Ricardo

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Optical Properties ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽

Band Gap Energy ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Secondary Phases ◽

Solar Absorber ◽

High Efficient ◽

Earth Abundant

Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) is a quaternary semiconductor that has emerged as a promising component in solar absorber materials due to its excellent optical properties such as band-gap energy of ca. 1.5 eV and significant absorption coefficient in the order of 10 4 cm − 1 . Nevertheless, the energy conversion efficiency of CZTS-based devices has not reached the theoretical limits yet, possibly due to the existence of antisite defects (such as Cu Zn or Zn Cu ) and secondary phases. Based on electronic similarities with Zn, Mg has been proposed for Zn substitution in the CZTS structure in the design of alternative semiconductors for thin-film solar cell applications. This work aims to study the properties of the CZTS having Mg incorporated in the structure replacing Zn, with the following stoichiometry: x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 in the formula Cu 2 Zn 1 − x Mg x SnS 4 (CZ-MTS). The semiconductor was prepared by the hot injection method, using oleylamine (OLA) as both surfactant and solvent. The presence and concentration of incorporated Mg allowed the fine-tuning of the CZ-MTS semiconductor’s structural and optical properties. Furthermore, it was observed that the inclusion of Mg in the CZTS structure leads to a better embodiment ratio of the Zn during the synthesis, thus reducing the excess of starting precursors. In summary, CZ-MTS is a promising candidate to fabricate high efficient and cost-effective thin-film solar cells made of earth-abundant elements.

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