Cascading pressure reactor and method for solar-thermochemical reactions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9815042-B1
Application number	US-201414549331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

Reactors and methods for solar thermochemical reactions are disclosed. The reactors and methods include a cascade of reduction chambers at successively lower pressures that leads to over an order of magnitude pressure decrease compared to a single-chambered design. The resulting efficiency gains are substantial, and represent an important step toward practical and efficient solar fuel production on a large scale.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar thermochemical reactor comprising:
a thermal reduction zone to thermally reduce a plurality of reactive particles through direct heating by solar energy thereby producing a plurality of reduced particles;
wherein the thermal reduction zone comprises two or more thermal reduction sub-zones operating at a corresponding two or more decreasing pressures;
wherein the two or more thermal reduction sub-zones receive separate solar inputs; and
wherein the pressure decreases in the direction of particle flow.

2. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the thermal reduction zone is heated by solar input.

3. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the two or more thermal reduction sub-zones are two or more reduction reactors.

4. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the particles are first reduced in a first reduction reactor of the two or more reduction reactors, and the first reduction reactor is at a pressure of between 10 Pa and 1000 Pa.

5. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the two or more thermal reduction sub-zones operate at a temperature greater than 1200° C.

6. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating zone configured to heat the plurality of reactive particles through direct heating by solar energy to a temperature less than the plurality of reactive particles nominal reduction temperature.

7. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein reduction of the plurality of reactive particles in the thermal reduction zone produces a reduction product stream.

8. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 6 , wherein the reduction product stream comprises oxygen.

9. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , further comprising:
an oxidation zone for receiving the plurality of reduced particles;
wherein the plurality of reduced particles undergo oxidation in the oxidation zone thereby reducing a feedstock and forming an oxidation product.

10. The solar thermochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the oxidation product is hydrogen.

11. A method for reducing a redox active material, comprising:
thermally reducing a plurality of reactive particles in a thermal reduction zone through direct heating by solar energy to produce a plurality of reduced particles;
wherein the thermal reduction zone comprises two or more thermal reduction sub-zones operating at a corresponding two or more decreasing pressures;
wherein the solar energy directly heats by separate solar inputs to the two or more thermal reduction sub-zones; and
wherein the pressure decreases in the direction of particle flow.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the thermal reduction zone is heated by solar input.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the two or more thermal reduction sub-zones are two or more reduction reactors.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the particles are first reduced in a first reduction reactor of the two or more reduction reactors, and the first reduction reactor is at a pressure of between 10 Pa and 1000 Pa.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the two or more thermal reduction sub-zones operate at a temperature greater than 1200° C.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
heating zone the plurality of reactive particles in a heating zone through direct heating by solar energy to a temperature less than the plurality of reactive particles nominal reduction temperature.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein reduction of the plurality of reactive particles in the thermal reduction zone produces a reduction product stream.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the reduction product stream comprises oxygen.

19. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
oxidizing the plurality of reduced particles in an oxidation zone;
wherein oxidation in the oxidation zone reduces a feedstock and forms an oxidation product.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the oxidation product is hydrogen.

Assignees

• Nat Tech & Eng Solutions Sandia Llc

Inventors

• Ermanoski Ivan

Classifications

• B01J19/127 Primary

  Sunlight; Visible light · CPC title

• Y02P20/133

  Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight · CPC title

• B01J2219/0879

  Solid · CPC title

• C01B3/10

  by reaction of water vapour with metals · CPC title

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title