H.I. Villafán-Vidales

Radiative heat transfer analysis of a directly irradiated cavity-type solar thermochemical reactor by Monte-Carlo ray tracing

Radiative heat transfer in a 1 kW cavity-type solar reactor devoted to the thermal reduction of compressed ZnO and SnO2 powders is analyzed by a Monte Carlo ray tracing simulation. The developed model takes into account the radiative properties of the reactant particles and of the ceramic cavity walls, as well as the angular intensity distribution of the incoming concentrated solar irradiation. The model also includes the conduction heat losses through the lateral walls and the energy consumed by the endothermic chemical reaction. It is used to predict the temperature and the absorbed flux density profiles on the inner cavity walls for different main features of the reactor, concerning the dimensions of the cavity and the type of reactant. Results show that the absorbed flux density profile and the theoretical thermochemical efficiency change with the cavity aspect ratio and with the oxide reactant. The cavity with an aspect ratio of 3 and a SnO2 pellet undergoing dissociation presents the highest thermoc...

Modeling the Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of Dyes

Background. The calculation of radiation absorption by the catalyst in solar photocatalytic reactors has been addressed by some authors, because it is a necessary step for the modeling of the detoxification of polluted water in these systems. Generally transparent pollutants have been considered, which somewhat simplifies the calculations. However, there has been an increasing interest in the study of solar photocatalytic degradation of dyes. These substances are not transparent to the radiation that the catalyst is able to absorb, and therefore their optical properties must be taken into account in the radiative modeling. Method of Approach. Absorption of radiation by the catalyst suspended in colored water is modeled by using the P1 approximation of radiative transfer theory. The absorption coefficient of the dye is taken into account in these calculations. A kinetic model is used to model degradation rates, based on the results of the radiative calculations. This has to be done through an Euler type method, because the reduction of dye concentration constantly modifies the optical conditions on the reactor, requiring a recalculation of radiation absorption at each step. Also, photocatalytic degradation experiments were carried out in a CPC solar photocatalytic reactor with tubular reaction space. Degradation of the Acid Orange 24 Azo dye was studied. The experimental degradation rates are compared with theoretical predictions. Results. An important influence of dye concentration is observed in the distribution of absorbed radiation, and also this parameter has a notorious effect on the predicted degradation rates. As a function of catalyst concentration, the degradation rate first increases rapidly and then at a smaller pace with an apparent linear trend. The experimental results can be reproduced well by the model. Conclusions. The proposed methodology allows modeling the solar photocatalytic degradation of dyes. The method should be applicable as long as the dye absorption coefficient is not too high in the wavelength region where the catalyst absorbs.

Monte Carlo Heat Transfer Modeling of a Particle-Cloud Solar Reactor for SnO2 Thermal Reduction

A directly irradiated cavity solar reactor devoted to the thermal reduction of SnO 2 particle-cloud is studied numerically by using the Monte Carlo method. The steady-state model solves the radiation and convection heat transfers in the semitransparent particle suspension and the chemical reaction. It was used to predict the temperature distribution and the reaction extent inside the cavity, as well as the theoretical thermochemical efficiency for different operational conditions. The simulations assume that the reactor contains a nonuniform size suspension of radiatively participating reacting SnO 2 particles. The model takes into account the radiative characteristics of the particles, as well as the directional characteristics of the power distribution of the incoming concentrated solar energy. The particle concentration, the particle size, and the length of the reactor are varied. Results show that the particle temperature and the yield of the endothermic reaction are higher when the reactor is fed with a cloud of particles with average diameter of 20 μm. The maximal thermochemical efficiency reached is 10%, which corresponds to an optimal optical thickness of around 2.

Solar fuels production as a sustainable alternative for substituting fossil fuels: COSOLπ project

This article presents, in summary form, the characteristics of COSOLπ development project and some of the results obtained to date. The benefits of the work of this project will include the generation of a not polluting transportable energy feedstock from a free, abundant and available primary energy source, in an efficient method with no greenhouse gas emission. This will help to ensure energy surety to a future transportation/energy infrastructure, without any fuel import. Further technological development of thermochemical production of clean fuels, together with solar reactors and also with the possibility of determining the optical and thermal properties of the materials involved a milestone in the search for new processes for industrialization. With the above in mind, important national academic institutions: UAM, UNAM, CINVESTAV, UACH, UNISON among others, have been promoting research in solar energy technologies. The Goals and objectives are to conduct research and technological development drivin...

Optical and thermal properties of selective absorber coatings under CSP conditions

Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems use solar absorbers to convert sunlight into thermal electric power. In CSP systems, a high reflective surface focuses sunlight onto a receiver that captures the solar energy and converts it into heat. The operation of high efficiency CSP systems involves improvements in the performance of the coatings of the solar absorption materials. To accomplish this, novel, more efficient selective coatings are being developed with high solar absorptance and low thermal losses at their operation temperature. Heat losses in a CSP system occur by three mechanisms: conduction, convection and radiation. It has been widely documented that energy losses increase with increasing operating temperature of CSP systems, and the precise knowledge of the thermophysical properties of the materials involved in CSP systems may allow us to increase the efficiency of systems. In this work, we applied the pulsed photoradiometry technique (PPTR) to evaluate the changes in the thermophysical properties of selective coatings on a variety of substrates as a function of temperature. Three types of coatings deposited with two different techniques on three types of substrate were examined: commercial coatings based on titanium oxynitride deposited by sputtering on substrates of copper and aluminum, coatings based on black nickel deposited by electrochemical methods on substrates of steel, and coatings based on black cobalt deposited by electrochemical methods on substrates of steel and copper. Values of the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity were obtained in the temperature range of 25 to 550 °C. Optical reflectance measurements have been performed in order to provide an estimate of the dependence of the thermal emittance on temperature using the black body radiation theory.Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems use solar absorbers to convert sunlight into thermal electric power. In CSP systems, a high reflective surface focuses sunlight onto a receiver that captures the solar energy and converts it into heat. The operation of high efficiency CSP systems involves improvements in the performance of the coatings of the solar absorption materials. To accomplish this, novel, more efficient selective coatings are being developed with high solar absorptance and low thermal losses at their operation temperature. Heat losses in a CSP system occur by three mechanisms: conduction, convection and radiation. It has been widely documented that energy losses increase with increasing operating temperature of CSP systems, and the precise knowledge of the thermophysical properties of the materials involved in CSP systems may allow us to increase the efficiency of systems. In this work, we applied the pulsed photoradiometry technique (PPTR) to evaluate the changes in the thermophysical prope...

Modeling of a CeO2 thermochemistry reduction process for hydrogen production by solar concentrated energy

In this paper the simulation of the thermal reduction for hydrogen production through the decomposition of cerium oxide is presented. The thermochemical cycle for hydrogen production consists of the endothermic reduction of CeO2 at high temperature, where concentrated solar energy is used as a source of heat; and of the subsequent steam hydrolysis of the resulting cerium oxide to produce hydrogen. For the thermochemical process, a solar reactor prototype is proposed; consisting of a cubic receptacle made of graphite fiber thermally insulated. Inside the reactor a pyramidal arrangement with nine tungsten pipes is housed. The pyramidal arrangement is made respect to the focal point where the reflected energy is concentrated. The solar energy is concentrated through the solar furnace of high radiative flux. The endothermic step is the reduction of the cerium oxide to lower-valence cerium oxide, at very high temperature. The exothermic step is the hydrolysis of the cerium oxide (III) to form H2 and the corres...