Radiative transport models for solar thermal receiver/reactors

Conference · Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:7170950

Bohn, M S; Mehos, M S

Modeling the behavior of solar-driven chemical reactors requires detailed knowledge of the absorbed solar flux throughout the calculation domain. Radiative transport models, which determine the radiative intensity field and absorbed solar flux, are discussed in this paper with special attention given to particular needs for the application of solar thermal receiver/reactors. The geometry of interest is an axisymmetric cylinder with a specified intensity field at one end, diffuse reflection at boundaries, and containing a participating medium. Participating media are of interest because receiver/reactors are expected to have one or more zones containing small particles or monoliths acting as absorbers or catalyst supports, either of which will absorb, emit, and scatter radiation. A general discussion of modeling techniques is given, followed by a more complete discussion of three models -- the two-flux, discrete ordinate, and the Monte Carlo methods. The methods are compared with published benchmark solutions for simplified geometries -- the infinite cylinder and plane slab -- and for geometries more closely related to receiver/reactors. Conclusions are drawn regarding the applicability of the techniques to general receiver/reactor models considering accuracy, ease of implementation, ease of interfacing with solution techniques for the other conservation equations, and numerical efficiency. 23 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/CE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 7170950
• Report Number(s): SERI/TP-253-3614; CONF-900449-7; ON: DE90000303
• Resource Relation: Conference: ASME international solar energy conference, Miami, FL (USA), 1-4 Apr 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
HEAT FLUX
HEAT TRANSFER
MONTE CARLO METHOD
SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR RECEIVERS
WASTE PROCESSING
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
MANAGEMENT
PROCESSING
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SIMULATION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
SOLAR
SOLAR THERMAL
MONTE CARLO METHODS
140905*
140505 - Solar Energy Conversion- Photochemical
Photobiological
& Thermochemical Conversion- (1980-)
400201 - Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
320303 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Equipment & Processes