Energy storage efficiency optimization of methane reforming with CO2 reactors for solar thermochemical energy storage

In CO2 reforming of methane solar thermochemical energy storage, much research has been conducted to enhance the thermochemical performance of the reactor. However, there has been little research conducted to investigate the effects of dimensions on the reactor thermochemical performance. Moreover, little innovation has occurred on optimizing reactor dimensions and operating conditions simultaneously. In this paper, a model has been developed to simulate CO2 reforming of methane reaction in a tubular packed reactor. By comparing with experimental and simulation data from another publication, the model is validated to be more accurate. A parametric study has been performed to investigate the effects of dimensions and operating conditions on the reactor thermochemical conversion and energy storage efficiency. The result shows that there is a trade-off between achieving a higher energy storage efficiency and decreasing the conversion by having smaller reactor with larger gas flow rate. An optimization study of all the design parameters, based on the reaction model coupled with a multistart optimization algorithm, is performed to find the maximum energy storage efficiency for a fixed required conversion. Without sacrificing the conversion, an energy storage efficiency of 0.77, which is 10% higher than the highest established experimental data, is obtained through optimization. The study provides a baseline for further thermodynamic analysis of the entire system.