Thermodynamic Assessment of a Solar-Driven Integrated Membrane Reactor for Ethanol Steam Reforming

Hongsheng Wang; Bingzheng Wang; Sean-Thomas B Lundin; Hui Kong; Bosheng Su; Jian Wang

doi:10.3390/molecules26226921

Thermodynamic Assessment of a Solar-Driven Integrated Membrane Reactor for Ethanol Steam Reforming

Molecules. 2021 Nov 17;26(22):6921. doi: 10.3390/molecules26226921.

Authors

Hongsheng Wang^{1

2}, Bingzheng Wang³, Sean-Thomas B Lundin², Hui Kong⁴, Bosheng Su^{5

6}, Jian Wang⁷

Affiliations

¹ MOE Key Laboratory of Hydrodynamic Transients, School of Power and Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
² Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
³ Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
⁴ School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology University, Beijing 100081, China.
⁵ Department of Marine Equipment and Mechanical Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China.
⁶ Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Energy Cleaning Utilization and Development, Xiamen 361021, China.
⁷ School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Abstract

To efficiently convert and utilize intermittent solar energy, a novel solar-driven ethanol steam reforming (ESR) system integrated with a membrane reactor is proposed. It has the potential to convert low-grade solar thermal energy into high energy level chemical energy. Driven by chemical potential, hydrogen permeation membranes (HPM) can separate the generated hydrogen and shift the ESR equilibrium forward to increase conversion and thermodynamic efficiency. The thermodynamic and environmental performances are analyzed via numerical simulation under a reaction temperature range of 100-400 °C with permeate pressures of 0.01-0.75 bar. The highest theoretical conversion rate is 98.3% at 100 °C and 0.01 bar, while the highest first-law efficiency, solar-to-fuel efficiency, and exergy efficiency are 82.3%, 45.3%, and 70.4% at 215 °C and 0.20 bar. The standard coal saving rate (SCSR) and carbon dioxide reduction rate (CDRR) are maximums of 101 g·m^-2·h^-1 and 247 g·m^-2·h^-1 at 200 °C and 0.20 bar with a hydrogen generation rate of 22.4 mol·m^-2·h^-1. This study illustrates the feasibility of solar-driven ESR integrated with a membrane reactor and distinguishes a novel approach for distributed hydrogen generation and solar energy utilization and upgradation.

Keywords: ethanol steam reforming (ESR); hydrogen generation; hydrogen permeation membrane (HPM); mid/low-temperature solar energy; solar thermochemistry; thermodynamic efficiency.