KR20110037329A - Chemical reactor using solar energy - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A solar energy chemical reactor is provided to improve the heat collection efficiency of the solar energy chemical reactor by uniformly dispersing the inflow solar energy through rotating a catalyst layer of a heat collector. CONSTITUTION: A solar energy chemical reactor comprises the following: a body(110) forming an internal space(111), and including an inlet(112) for flowing fluid before the reaction and an outlet(113) discharging the fluid after the reaction; a window formed with a transparent material for passing through sunlight, installed on the front side of the body; a heat collector(130) including a catalyst layer for absorbing the sunlight, installed in the inside of the internal space; and a rotating unit(140) for rotating the heat collector.

Description

Chemical reactor using solar energy

The present invention relates to a solar chemical reactor, and more particularly, to a solar chemical reactor for producing hydrogen by performing a chemical reaction using solar heat.

Hydrogen, which has recently emerged as a new renewable energy, is not secondary energy such as petroleum or coal, but secondary energy that can be obtained by converting primary energy. Such hydrogen is a clean energy that can be obtained from natural resources such as water, fossil fuel, and biomass, and has no advantage in that it does not cause environmental pollution due to a product after being used for power generation because there is no carbon component.

While hydrogen is the most common resource around us, it is difficult to obtain as an independent energy source, and if it can be produced independently, it can be an effective fuel to supply energy for power generation.

For example, as a power generation technology using hydrogen, such as a fuel cell, is gradually being realized, the development of a technology capable of producing a large amount of hydrogen is required, and research on a manufacturing method thereof is being actively conducted.

Representative methods include steam reforming, partial oxidation, plasma reforming, and water decomposition using metal oxides.

The steam reforming method reforms by injecting and reforming source gas and water vapor such as city gas, LPG, natural gas into the reactor, and the size of the reactor is relatively slow and the reaction rate is relatively slow. Because of this, it is the most used at present.

In the water decomposition method using the metal oxide, hydrogen is produced by a two-step thermochemical reaction, and when a high temperature heat (approximately 1500 ° C. or more) is applied to a metal oxide such as ferrite (Fe 3 O 4) using solar heat or the like, oxygen is added. The Thermal Reduction of Metal Oxide (TR Step) is lost, and the reduced unstable metal oxide is oxidized by receiving oxygen from water vapor, and the oxygen vapor that is lost is decomposed of water discharged to hydrogen (Water Decomposition; WD Step).

Figure 1a is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional solar chemical reactor for producing hydrogen, Figure 1b is a reference diagram showing the temperature distribution on the surface of the catalyst layer which is the focal plane of the chemical reactor shown in Figure 1a It is.

Referring to the drawings, the conventional solar chemical reactor, the body 10, the transparent window 20 disposed on the front of the body 10, the catalyst layer 31 is formed on the focal plane of the solar energy to absorb the solar heat It includes a heat collector (30).

However, in the case of a solar heat collecting device (not shown) that collects and transfers solar energy to a chemical reactor, when a reflector for collecting light is damaged or damaged due to exposure to the external environment, the collecting surface becomes non-uniform. The focused focal plane can also be uneven. That is, when the focal plane formed on the surface of the catalyst layer 31 is uneven as shown in FIG. 1B, the temperature distribution on the surface of the catalyst layer 31 becomes nonuniform, which causes a decrease in efficiency and a surface of the catalyst layer 31. This locally broken and damaged problem occurred.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a solar thermal chemical reactor that is uniform in the temperature distribution on the surface of the catalyst layer, which is the focal plane of solar energy.

The present invention forms an internal space, and the inlet through which the fluid is introduced before the reaction. A body having an outlet through which the fluid after the reaction flows out; A window transparently disposed in front of the body to allow sunlight to enter; A heat collector installed behind the window on the inner space of the body and absorbing solar heat including a catalyst layer; And it provides a solar chemical reactor having a rotating means for rotating the heat collector.

Here, the rotating means may include a rotating shaft connected to the heat collecting body and a driving source for driving the rotating shaft.

In addition, the fluid flowing into the inlet of the body before the reaction is fuel gas and water vapor, and the fluid flowing out of the outlet of the body after the reaction may be hydrogen and syngas. In this case, the fuel gas may be one selected from city gas, LPG, and natural gas.

Alternatively, the collector may comprise a metal oxide, the fluid entering the inlet of the body before the reaction is water vapor, and the fluid flowing out of the outlet of the body after the reaction may be hydrogen.

According to the solar chemical reactor according to the present invention, the amount of solar energy introduced by rotating the catalyst layer surface of the heat collector is uniformly distributed, thereby improving the heat collection efficiency of the solar energy.

In addition, it is possible to prevent local overheating caused by uneven temperature distribution on the surface of the catalyst layer, which is the focal plane of solar energy, and damage and breakage of the surface of the catalyst layer.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the common or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that it can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing a solar chemical reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the heat collector and the rotating means shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a solar chemical reactor shown in FIG. It is a reference figure which shows the temperature distribution in the catalyst layer surface which is a focal plane.

Referring to the drawings, the solar chemical reactor according to the embodiment of the present invention, the body 110, a transparent window 120, and a heat collector 130 for absorbing solar heat.

The body 110 forms an inner space 111. And an inlet 112 through which the fluid before the reaction flows. An outlet 113 through which the fluid after the reaction flows is formed. The fluid flowing in and out through the inlet 112 and the outlet 113 varies depending on the use of the chemical reactor, which will be described later.

The window 120 is transparent to allow sunlight to be incident thereon, and is disposed on the front surface of the body 110 to seal the internal space 111 of the body 110.

The heat collecting body 130 is disposed in the inner space 111 of the body 110 and is installed at the rear of the window 110. The collector 130 is made of porous foam media, and includes a catalyst layer 131 on a focal plane of sunlight to absorb solar heat. Here, the material for forming the catalyst layer 131 varies according to the use of the chemical reactor, which will be described later.

In the embodiment of the present invention as described above, in order to eliminate the temperature distribution non-uniformity of the surface of the catalyst layer 131 caused by the non-uniform focal plane formed on the surface of the catalyst layer 131, the solar thermal reactor of the present invention is the heat collector 130 It comprises a rotating means 140 for rotating.

The rotating means 140 may include a rotating shaft 141 connected to the heat collecting body 130 and a driving source 142 for driving the rotating shaft. The driving source may be a motor, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and any driving source may be used as long as the driving source transmits a rotational force for stably rotating the heat collecting body 130 through the rotation shaft 141.

As described above, when the heat collector 130 is rotated, the solar energy flowing into the surface of the catalyst layer 131 is uniformly distributed to solve the temperature distribution non-uniformity of the surface of the catalyst layer 131. Overheating and damage to the surface of the catalyst layer 131 may be prevented.

Hereinafter, the operation of the solar chemical reactor according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5 corresponding to the use of the chemical reactor. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the action of the solar chemical reactor shown in FIG.

First, a case of producing hydrogen by applying a solar chemical reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention to steam reforming of a fuel gas represented by the following reaction formula will be described. However, although methane (CH4), which is a kind of natural gas, is expressed here as a fuel gas, the fuel gas may be any one selected from city gas, LPG, and natural gas.

CH4 + H2O = 3H2 + Syn Gas

2 to 5, the fluid 1 flowing into the inlet 112 of the body 110 before the reaction is fuel gas, that is, natural gas, methane, and the fluid 2 is hot steam. In this case, nickel ferrite (NiFe 2 O 4) may be used as the material of the catalyst layer 131 of the heat collector 130. After this reforming reaction, the fluid flowing out of the outlet 112 of the body 110 is hydrogen (H2) and syngas such as cobalt monoxide (Co).

Next, a solar chemical reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described for producing hydrogen by a two-step thermochemical reaction using a metal oxide and solar heat. Here, the ferrite (Fe3O4) is exemplified as a metal oxide for forming the catalyst layer 131 of the heat collecting body 130, but is not limited thereto. Any one selected from the group consisting of MnO, MgO, NiO, and CoO It may be. Expressed in the reaction scheme is as follows.

Thermal oxidation step (T-R Step)

Fe3O4 = 3FeO + 1 / 2O2 (high-Temperature Thermal Reduction of metal Oxide; T-R Step)

In this thermal oxidation step, ferrite is reduced, that is, oxygen is lost when high temperature heat (approximately 1500 ° C. or more) is applied to ferrite (Fe 3 O 4) using solar heat or the like. The first step is the Thermal Reduction of Metal Oxide (T-R Step).

W-D Step

3FeO + H2O (water vapor) = Fe3O4 + H2 (Low-Temperature Water Decomposition with Reduced metal Oxide; W-D Step)

In the above water decomposition step, the reduced ferrite has an unstable state, and attracts oxygen in the surroundings to return to its original stable state (Fe3O4). At this time, when water vapor is supplied, oxygen of the water vapor is oxidized into Fe 3 O 4, and the water vapor which has lost oxygen is discharged as hydrogen. This process is the second step, Water Decomposition (W-D Step).

2 to 5, the heat collecting body 130, that is, the catalyst layer 131 includes a metal oxide such as ferrite (Fe 3 O 4), and the inlet 112 of the body 110 before the reaction. The fluid 1 flowing into) is water vapor, and the fluid flowing out of the outlet 112 of the body 110 after the reaction is hydrogen.

Meanwhile, the fluid 2 flowing into the inlet 112 of the body 110 is nitrogen (N 2), which is an inert gas, and serves to provide a pressure for smoothly supplying water vapor to the catalyst layer 131 before the reaction. After the reaction is supplied to provide a discharge pressure for withdrawing hydrogen out of the reactor.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Figure 1a is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional solar chemical reactor,

FIG. 1B is a reference diagram showing a temperature distribution on the surface of a catalyst layer which is a focal plane of the solar chemical reactor shown in FIG.

2 is a block diagram showing a solar thermal chemical reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention,

3 is a block diagram showing the heat collecting body and the rotating means shown in FIG.

4 is a reference diagram showing the temperature distribution on the surface of the catalyst layer which is the focal plane of the solar chemical reactor shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the solar chemical reactor shown in FIG. 2.

<Brief description of the main parts of the drawing>

110: body 111: internal space

112: entrance 113: exit

120: Windows 130: heat collector

131: catalyst layer 140: rotation means

141: rotation axis 142: drive source

Claims (5)

The inner space 111 is formed, and the inlet 112 through which the fluid before the reaction flows. A body 110 having an outlet 113 through which the fluid after the reaction flows out; A window 120 transparently disposed in front of the body 110 to allow sunlight to be incident thereon; A heat collector 130 installed at the rear of the window 110 on the inner space 111 of the body 110 and including a catalyst layer 131 to absorb solar heat; And Solar chemical reactor comprising a rotating means for rotating the heat collecting body (130). The method of claim 1, wherein the rotating means 140, A rotating shaft 141 connected to the heat collector; Solar chemical reactor comprising a drive source (142) for driving the rotating shaft. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The fluid flowing into the inlet 112 of the body 110 before the reaction is fuel gas and water vapor, After the reaction, the fluid flowing out of the outlet 112 of the body 110 is hydrogen and a synthesis gas solar thermal reactor. The method of claim 3, The fuel gas is one of city gas, LPG, and natural gas selected from solar chemical reactors. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The collector 130 includes a metal oxide, The fluid flowing into the inlet 112 of the body 110 before the reaction is water vapor, After the reaction, the fluid flowing out of the outlet 112 of the body 110 is hydrogen.

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