(753e) Development and Thermal Test Results of a 10 Kw Porous Media Solar Reactor

Solar volumetric receivers are based on high porosity materials as radiation absorbers, like open cell foams or monolithic honeycombs. These structures allow the volumetric absorption of concentrated solar radiation within them. Solar heat absorbed in the porous media is then transferred to a working fluid passing through it. In this work, a 10 kW volumetric solar reactor has been developed for the reduction of metal oxides. Within the reactor there is a ceramic porous media that supports the metal oxide to be reduced. This structure is directly irradiated with concentrated solar energy in order to reach reaction temperatures above 1300 K.

The developed solar reactor was designed for experimentation with different operational conditions at the IER-UNAM Solar Furnace. The design was accomplished based on detailed ray tracing of the furnace, to obtain the concentrated flux distributions at different planes in the focal zone. The design is based on a cavity with a ceramic conical receiver, and allows for temperature measurements by thermocouples and pyrometers at different spots. Thermal simulations were carried out to determine the reactor body specifications and insulation requirements. The device has been built and preliminary tests have been carried out at the solar. These tests are aimed at evaluating the thermal performance of the system in the absence of chemical reaction. Different porous media that could be used in thermochemical processes have been used in these tests.