A solar-thermal fluid-wall reactor consisting of three concentric vertical tubes is constructed to dissociate methane to hydrogen and carbon black using concentrated solar power. Several aspects of the design are modeled for scaling the system up: the heat transfer and its effect on the integrity of the materials, and the fluid flow of all gas streams within the reactor. It is determined that the inlet gas temperatures, mass flow rates, and permeability of the porous wall affect the gas flow profile through the porous tube wall. By increasing the inlet gas temperature and/or the tube permeability in the hot zone section of the reactor, a more uniform flow profile can be obtained along the length of the tube.

Issue Section:
Technical Papers
Keywords:
chemical reactors, dissociation, heat transfer, mass transfer, solar power, aerosols, permeability
Topics:
Aerosols, Annulus, Flow (Dynamics), Fluids, Gas flow, Graphite, Heat transfer, Hydrogen, Permeability, Quartz, Solar energy, Temperature, Temperature profiles, Carbon black pigments, Methane, Model development
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