Thermodynamic Analysis of an Integrated Solar based Chemical Reactor System for Hydrogen Production

OpenAlex Türkçe

The biggest advantage of the renewable energy based systems is that these energy systems are environmentally friendly, since they emit very few pollutants. The solar parabolic trough collector systems generate thermal energy by using solar radiation. These renewable energy systems are the most deployed type of the solar concentrating collectors. Especially, they are very suitable for middle-temperature solar power system applications. Storing of the solar energy is not a suitable way due to the irreversibility production associated with the heat transfer. Instead of that, solar energy should be used to produce hydrogen energy using a solar reactor system. By using the parabolic concentrating collectors, hydrogen may be produced by applying water-gas shift reaction with H 2 O and CO which emitted to atmosphere by any reaction under 475 K. Produced hydrogen can be used in energy generation systems or chemical industries while carbon dioxide can be used in green houses or carbon industry. The water-gas shift reactions have the benefit of generating long term storable energy carriers from the solar radiation. This conversion also allows transportation of solar radiation from the sunbelt to remote population centers. This paper gives a second law analysis based on an exergy concept for the simple solar cylindrical parabolic reactor for a better evaluation. The scientific approach of detailed energy and exergy analyses of the solar cylindrical parabolic reactor and dispersion of the exergy losses are presented in this study too. Exergy analysis of the solar energy conversion processes helps to investigate the optimum system that covers the imposed thermal and economic limitations. In this paper, it is given that the highest exergy losses take place at the solar collector and receiver sub-system. The outcomes of theoretical analysis should be used for analyzing the system components and irreversibilities of the solar cylindrical parabolic reactor.