MODELING SOLAR THERMOCHEMICAL SPLITTING OF CO2 USING METAL OXIDE AND A CR5

A two-dimensional, multi-physics computational model based on the finite-element method is developed for simulating the process of solar thermochemical splitting of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) using ferrites (Fe(3)O(4)/FeO) and a counter-rotating-ring receiver/recuperator or CR5, in which carbon monoxide (CO) is produced from gaseous CO(2). The model takes into account heat transfer, gas-phase flow and multiple-species diffusion in open channels and through pores of the porous reactant layer, and redox chemical reactions at the gas/solid interfaces. Results (temperature distribution, velocity field, and species concentration contours) computed using the model in a case study are presented to illustrate model utility. The model is then employed to examine the effects of injection rates of CO(2) and argon neutral gas, respectively, on CO production rate and the extent of the product-species crossover.