A solar powered conical helical flow channel reactor

Abstract

The application relates to a solar energy driven conical spiral flow channel reactor, and belongs to the technical field of solar energy thermochemistry. The application comprises a solar energy collector and a conical spiral reactor. The conical spiral reactor is internally provided with a gas reaction flow channel. The reaction gas is preheated by the temperature gradually increased along the wall surface during the flowing process from the bottom layer to the top layer and reacts. The upper layer flow channel is longer, so that the gas residence time is increased, and a reasonable heat exchange matching process is realized. The application solves the problem that the working performance of the reactor is affected by the uneven solar energy collection, has the characteristics of compact structure, low production cost and the like, and can effectively improve the energy efficiency of the reactor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of solar thermochemical technology, and specifically relates to a solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of solar thermochemistry, efficient and feasible thermochemical reactors play a crucial role in energy conversion. Using solar energy directly as a heating source for thermochemical reactors is a highly promising energy conversion solution; therefore, the direct matching of solar collectors and reactors has significant research and development value.

[0003] Thermochemical reactors typically require heating temperatures of 850-1000K. Therefore, when solar energy is used as the heating source, parabolic dish collectors with a high concentration ratio are preferable. However, after the solar energy is concentrated by the parabolic dish collector, a spot with an extremely high temperature at the center and a low temperature around the perimeter is generated on the heated surface of the reactor. This can lead to problems such as localized overheating, localized catalyst deactivation, and shortened reactor life.

[0004] Chinese document CN 117680048 A proposes "a solar-driven gas reactor". To address the problem of uneven temperature of the planar light spot generated by parabolic dish collectors, a disc-shaped spiral flow channel reactor is designed. The gas is preheated by the flow channel with gradually increasing temperature as it flows from the outside to the inside and reacts. However, this reactor does not fundamentally solve the problem of uneven temperature of the planar light spot.

[0005] Currently, most reactors matched with dish solar collectors are cavity reactors. This type of reactor can effectively alleviate the problem of excessively high center temperature of the planar solar spot caused by dish solar collectors.

[0006] Chinese literature CN 116492956 A proposes a "layered cavity structure solar thermochemical reactor". The layered cavity structure is used to solve the problem of planar light spot caused by parabolic dish collectors and can achieve better heat preservation effect. However, the cavity structure design of this reactor results in a small volume ratio of the reaction area, which seriously affects the heat transfer efficiency of the reactor.

[0007] Therefore, solving the problem of low energy efficiency caused by the low matching degree between parabolic dish collectors and reactors is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor to solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0010] A solar-powered conical helical flow channel reactor, comprising:

[0011] Solar collectors are used to provide heat for heating conical spiral reactors.

[0012] The conical spiral reactor has its cone apex facing the solar collector. A heating zone is formed on the side of the reactor. A gas reaction channel is provided in the side wall of the conical spiral reactor. The channel extends along the side wall to form a spiral structure. The gas reaction channel has an inlet end and an outlet end. The length of the gas reaction channel gradually increases from the bottom layer to the top layer.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a feed pipe and a discharge pipe, which are connected to the feed end and discharge end of the gas reaction channel, respectively.

[0014] Furthermore, the conical spiral reactor includes a reactor shell and a flow channel baffle installed inside the reactor shell. The flow channel baffle divides the reactor shell to form a zero-gap, fully covered gas reaction flow channel. The feed pipe and the discharge pipe extend to the outside of the reactor shell, respectively. The solar collector outputs heating spots that irradiate the outer surface of the reactor shell, thereby heating the gas reaction flow channel.

[0015] Furthermore, the reactor shell has an inverted conical structure, and the gas reaction channel is in direct contact with the reactor shell.

[0016] Furthermore, the reactor shell and flow channel baffles are made of high-temperature alloys, such as nickel-based alloy 625, but are not limited to this.

[0017] Furthermore, the gas reaction channel has an inverted conical spiral structure.

[0018] Furthermore, the solar collector is a dish-type solar collector, but it is not limited to this. The heating temperature of the gas reaction channel changes gradually from the bottom layer to the top layer.

[0019] Furthermore, the heating spot is a three-dimensional inverted cone-shaped spot, and the temperature of the heating spot gradually increases from the apex of the cone to the bottom surface of the cone. The gas reaction channel is a three-dimensional inverted cone spiral structure, with the bottom of the three-dimensional inverted cone spiral structure being the feed end and the top being the discharge end, which corresponds to the position of the bottom surface of the heating spot.

[0020] Beneficial technical effects of the present invention:

[0021] This invention transforms the planar light spot of a solar collector into a three-dimensional inverted conical light spot through the design of the reactor shell and gas reaction channel. This generates a temperature gradient from low to high from the apex to the bottom of the cone, eliminating the risk of excessively high temperature in the central area of ​​the planar light spot. Secondly, the length of the gas reaction channel gradually increases from the low-temperature zone to the high-temperature zone, allowing the reactant gas to reside in the high-temperature zone for a longer time, resulting in a more complete reaction and improving the methane conversion rate. Even under high gas flow rates, a good methane conversion rate can be achieved. The reactor structure is simple, easy to implement, and low in cost. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram from another perspective of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention with the solar collector omitted.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, omitting the solar collector from another perspective;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the flow channel baffle, feed pipe and discharge pipe of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, omitting the solar collector;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a graph showing the radial variation of the light concentration ratio of the reactor shell heating surface under non-reactive conditions in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a temperature gradient distribution diagram of the heated surface of the reactor shell in the non-reactive state according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing the molar concentration distribution of methane at an inlet velocity of 0.7 m / s under the reaction conditions of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0032] Example 1: As Figure 1-6As shown in Figure 1, a solar-driven spiral flow channel reactor includes a solar collector 1 and a conical spiral reactor. The conical spiral reactor includes a flow channel baffle 2, a feed pipe 3, a discharge pipe 4, and a reactor shell 5. The solar collector 1 provides heat to the reactor for heating. The gas reaction flow channel is composed of the flow channel baffle 2 and the reactor shell 5, and has a feed end 61 and a discharge end 62. The feed pipe 3 and the discharge pipe 4 are respectively connected to the feed end 61 and the discharge end 62 of the gas reaction flow channel. As shown in Figure 1, the cone apex of the conical spiral reactor faces the solar collector 1. A heating zone is formed on the side of the conical spiral reactor. A gas reaction flow channel is provided inside the side wall of the conical spiral reactor. The flow channel extends along the side wall of the reactor to form a spiral structure. The gas reaction flow channel has a feed end 61 and a discharge end 62, and the length of the gas reaction flow channel gradually increases from the bottom layer to the top layer.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, the reactor shell 5 is an inverted conical structure, and the gas reaction channel 6 inside it is a three-dimensional inverted conical spiral structure.

[0034] When the solar collector 1 uses a dish-type solar collector 11, the heating spot output to the outer surface of the reactor shell 5 is a three-dimensional inverted conical spot, and the temperature of the heating spot gradually increases radially from the center outwards. The center of the heating spot irradiates the center of the bottom of the reactor shell 5, i.e., the apex of the inverted cone, so that a three-dimensional temperature field with a high temperature at the center and a gradually decreasing temperature around the perimeter is formed on the outer surface of the reactor shell 5. The outlet end 62 of the gas reaction channel is located at the top of the reactor shell 5, so that the heating temperature of each layer of the gas reaction channel gradually increases from the bottom layer to the top layer. Therefore, during the reaction, the gas will stay in the channel with a higher temperature for a longer time, so that the reaction can proceed more fully. In this embodiment, the methane reforming reaction is used as an example for explanation, but it is not limited to this, thereby improving the conversion rate of methane.

[0035] To verify the accuracy of the designed temperature gradient of the reactor, simulation software was used to simulate the concentration ratio generated when the inverted conical heating surface was matched with the dish solar concentrator. The specific concentration ratio and corresponding temperature changes are as follows: Figure 7-8 As shown.

[0036] The gas reaction channel is located inside the reactor shell 5 and is composed of the reactor shell 5 and the channel baffle 2. The feed pipe 3 and the discharge pipe extend to the outside of the reactor shell 5 respectively. The solar collector 1 outputs heating spots to irradiate the outer surface of the reactor shell 5, thereby providing heat for the gas reaction.

[0037] The reactor shell 5 receives heat from the dish solar collector 1 and also serves as part of the gas reaction flow channel, making the reactor structure very compact and significantly improving the efficiency of heat transfer, thus effectively increasing the heating efficiency of the reaction gas.

[0038] Preferably, in this embodiment, the reactor shell 5 and the flow channel baffle 2 are made of nickel-based alloy 625, which has the characteristics of corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance and good thermal conductivity, and can effectively transfer the heat generated by solar radiation collected by the solar collector 1 to the reaction gas. However, it is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the reactor shell 5 and the flow channel baffle 2 can also be made of other materials with good thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance.

[0039] Preferably, in this embodiment, the gas reaction channel is a progressively conical spiral channel composed of the reactor shell 5 and the channel baffle 2. This structure gives the gas reaction channel excellent space utilization, increases the channel length, and allows the gas to stay for a longer time, enabling methane to react fully and improving the conversion rate of methane. However, it is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the shape of the channel baffle 2 can also be other structures, such as a spiral structure.

[0040] In this specific embodiment, the bottom of the reactor shell 5 is the feed inlet 61 and the top is the discharge outlet 62, which makes the structure more reasonable. However, it is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the bottom of the reactor shell 5 can be the feed inlet 61 and the upper part of the inner side of the reactor shell can be the discharge outlet.

[0041] The gas reaction channel formed by the flow channel baffle 2 and the reactor shell 5 has a square cross-section, which greatly improves the heat transfer effect. However, it is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the cross-section of the gas reaction channel can also be circular, rectangular or other shapes.

[0042] The feed pipe 3 is a cylindrical pipe with a constant cross-section. One end of the feed pipe 3 is located inside the reactor shell 5, and the other end is located outside the reactor shell 5, which facilitates the addition of gas to the reactor. The discharge pipe 4 is a pipe with a fan-shaped annular cross-section and a constant cross-sectional area. One end of the discharge pipe 4 is located at the top of the reactor shell 5 and connected to the discharge end of the gas reaction channel, while the other end is located outside the reactor shell, which facilitates the discharge of synthesis gas.

[0043] Preferably, in this specific embodiment, the discharge pipe 4 is connected to the top of the reactor shell 5, making the structure more compact. However, it is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the discharge pipe 4 may also be connected to other locations on the reactor shell 5.

[0044] In this specific embodiment, the spacing between each layer of the flow channel baffle 2 is 8mm, and there are 11 layers from bottom to top. The width of the flow channel baffle 2 is also 8mm, thus forming a square flow channel with a side length of 8mm with the reactor shell 5. The radius of the conical base at the top inner side of the reactor shell 5 is 50mm, and the included angle of the cone of the reactor shell is 60°. The cross-section of the feed end 61 is a circle with a diameter of 10mm, and the cross-section of the discharge end 62 has an area of ​​approximately 64mm². 2 The fan ring, but not limited to this.

[0045] Preferably, the solar collector 1 is a dish-type solar collector 11, which has good heat collection effect, is easy to implement, and has low cost. However, it is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the solar collector 1 can also be a trough-type solar collector, a Nefertory-type solar collector, a tower-type solar collector, etc. Specifically, in this embodiment, the solar irradiance is 1000W / m². 2 The maximum heat flux density obtained in reactor shell 5 is 7.46 × 10⁻⁶. 4 W / m 2 The dish solar collector 11 has a focal length of 0.5m and an edge angle of 60°, and has a good heating effect, but it is not limited to this.

[0046] Furthermore, in this specific embodiment, a nickel-based alumina catalyst is arranged inside the gas reaction channel to increase hydrogen production. Specifically, the nickel-based alumina catalyst is uniformly distributed on the asbestos mesh inside the gas reaction channel.

[0047] The working principle is explained below using the methane reforming reaction as an example:

[0048] Solar radiation, after being collected by dish solar collector 11, provides heat for the methane reforming reaction occurring in the gas reaction channel. The reactor (a feed gas consisting of a thorough mixture of biogas and water vapor) is introduced into the gas reaction channel through feed pipe 3 to undergo the reaction, specifically the reforming reaction: and transformation reactions: As the reactant gas penetrates deeper into the gas reaction channel, the reaction gradually intensifies. When it reaches the discharge end 62, the reaction is complete, and the syngas that has completed the reaction leaves from the discharge pipe 4.

[0049] To verify the feasibility of the spiral flow reactor design, a methane reforming reaction occurring within the reactor was simulated using simulation software. The changes in pressure, substance concentration, and velocity within the spiral flow reactor were as follows: Figure 8-9 As shown.

[0050] Before the simulation, to ensure its feasibility, the following assumptions were made about the reaction: 1. All gases in the reaction system can be regarded as incompressible ideal gases; 2. The reaction gases are completely mixed at the inlet; 3. During the reaction, the side reaction of dry methane reforming (DRM) is not considered to affect the results; 4. The catalyst layer can be regarded as an isotropic, homogeneous, porous medium; 5. The gas flow is laminar.

[0051] like Figure 9 As shown, when the inlet flow rate is 0.7 m / s, the methane concentration at the inlet is 29.8 mol / m³. 3 The methane concentration at the outlet is 0.524 mol / m³. 3 The methane conversion rate reached 98.24%.

[0052] This invention discloses a solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor. A dish-type solar collector collects solar radiation and projects it onto the outer heated surface of the reactor shell, creating a three-dimensional temperature field with gradually increasing temperature from the bottom to the top of the reactor on the inverted conical outer surface. The feed pipe is connected to the bottom of the inner surface of the reactor. Inside the reactor, flow channel baffles create a zero-gap, fully covered reactor, significantly increasing the heat absorption area and solar energy conversion efficiency. The reactant gas is introduced through the feed pipe and flows layer by layer from the lowest temperature and shortest bottom flow channel to the highest temperature and longest upper flow channel. During its flow from the bottom to the top, the reactant gas is preheated by the progressively increasing temperature along the flow wall and reacts. The longer upper flow channel increases the gas residence time, thus achieving a rationally matched heat exchange process.

[0053] The solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor provided by this invention has the characteristics of solving the problem of uneven solar heat collection affecting the working performance of the reactor, longer flow channel in high temperature zone to increase gas residence time, simple and compact structure, low production cost, and environmental friendliness, and can effectively improve the energy efficiency of the reactor.

[0054] The above description is merely an embodiment of the invention's technical content. Any modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art using this invention are within the scope of the invention's claims, and are not limited to those disclosed in the embodiments.

Claims

1. A solar-driven conical helical flow channel reactor, characterized in that... include: Solar collectors are used to provide heat for heating conical spiral reactors. A conical spiral reactor, with the cone apex facing the solar collector, a heated zone formed on the side of the conical spiral reactor, and a gas reaction channel provided in the side wall of the conical spiral reactor. The gas reaction channel extends along the side wall of the conical spiral reactor to form a spiral structure. The gas reaction channel has an inlet end and an outlet end, and the length of the gas reaction channel gradually increases from the bottom layer to the top layer. It also includes a feed pipe and a discharge pipe, which are connected to the feed end and discharge end of the gas reaction channel, respectively. The reaction gas is introduced from the feed pipe and flows from the bottom channel with the lowest temperature and shortest length to the upper channel with higher temperature and longer length. During the flow from the bottom to the top, the reaction gas is preheated by the gas reaction channel with the gradually increasing temperature and reacts. The longer upper channel increases the gas residence time, thus achieving a reasonable heat exchange and heat matching process.

2. The solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conical spiral reactor includes a reactor shell and a flow channel baffle installed inside the reactor shell. The gas reaction flow channel is composed of the flow channel baffle and the reactor shell. The gas reaction flow channel is in direct contact with the reactor shell. The flow channel baffle divides the reactor shell to form a zero-gap, fully covered structure. The feed pipe and the discharge pipe extend to the outside of the reactor shell, respectively. The solar collector outputs heating spots that irradiate the outer surface of the reactor shell, thereby providing heat to the gas reaction flow channel.

3. The solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The reactor shell has an inverted conical structure.

4. The solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The reactor shell and flow channel baffle are made of high-temperature alloy.

5. The solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The gas reaction channel has a three-dimensional inverted conical spiral structure.

6. The solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solar collector is a dish-type solar collector. The heating spot formed by the collector is a three-dimensional inverted cone-shaped spot. When it shines on the outer surface of the conical spiral reactor, the heating temperature of the gas reaction channel inside the conical spiral reactor changes gradually from the bottom to the top.

7. The solar-driven conical helical flow channel reactor according to claim 6, characterized in that: The temperature of the heating spot gradually increases from the apex of the cone to the bottom. The gas reaction channel is a three-dimensional inverted conical spiral structure. The bottom of the three-dimensional inverted conical spiral structure is the feed end, and the top is the discharge end. The discharge end corresponds to the position of the bottom of the heating spot.

8. The solar-driven conical spiral flow channel reactor according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 7, characterized in that: A porous catalyst is arranged inside the gas reaction channel.

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