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  4. An integrated concentrated solar fuel generator utilizing a tubular solid oxide electrolysis cell as solar absorber
 
research article

An integrated concentrated solar fuel generator utilizing a tubular solid oxide electrolysis cell as solar absorber

Lin, Meng  
•
Haussener, Sophia  
2018
Journal of Power Sources

We numerically assessed the potential of a solar reactor concept for efficient fuel processing under concentrated solar irradiation. This design integrates a cavity receiver, a tubular solid oxide electrolyzer, and the concentrated photovoltaic cells into a single reactor. The tubular electrolyzer simultaneously acts as the solar absorber (for reactant heating) and as the electrochemical device (for water and carbon dioxide splitting). A multi-physics axisymmetric model was developed, considering charge transfer in the membrane-electrolyte assembly, electrochemical and thermochemical reactions at the electrodes' reaction sites, species and fluid flow in the fluid channels and electrodes, and heat transfer for the whole reactor. A high solar-to-fuel efficiency was predicted (18.6% and 12.3% for indirectly and directly connected approaches, respectively, both at C-PV = 385 and C-ap = 1273). For synthesis gas production, the upper current density threshold to avoid carbon deposition was found to be 8725 A/m(2) at reference conditions. A continuous range of H-2/CO molar ratios of the synthesis gas was achieved by varying the inlet H2O/CO2 ratio, the irradiation concentration, and the operation current density. Efficiency-optimized operating conditions and design guidelines are presented. Our novel and integrated solar reactor concept for the solar-driven high-temperature electrolysis of H2O and CO2 has the potential to provide a simple, high solar-to-fuel efficiency reactor at reduced cost, all given by the reduced transmission losses of the integrated reactor design.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.08.009
Author(s)
Lin, Meng  
Haussener, Sophia  
Date Issued

2018

Published in
Journal of Power Sources
Volume

400

Start page

592

End page

604

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LRESE  
FunderGrant Number

EU funding

621173

Available on Infoscience
August 6, 2018
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/147657
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