Dynamics and control of solar thermochemical reactors

A general dynamic model for solar-driven thermochemical processes is formulated based on unsteady mass and energy conservation equations coupled to the reaction kinetics. It is applied to two pertinent high-temperature thermochemical reactors for fuel production that make use of concentrated solar energy as the source of process heat, namely: an indirectly irradiated batch-operated packed bed reactor for the carbothermic reduction of zinc oxide, and a directly irradiated continuously operated particle flow reactor for the steam-gasification of petcoke. Model parameter identification and validation is accomplished by comparing numerically simulated and experimentally measured temperatures and outlet product concentrations. A linear feedback controller was implemented using the LQG/LTR design method. Simulations of the controlled reactor system with real solar irradiation data indicates improved quality and steadiness of product composition throughout transient solar input phases and superior solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.