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Energies
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Production and Exploitation of Energy Carriers from Solar-Driven Thermochemical Processes
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Production and Exploitation of Energy Carriers from Solar-Driven Thermochemical Processes

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "I1: Fuel".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2022) | Viewed by 5910

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Roberto Solimene

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility-CNR, P.le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: combustion, gasification and pyrolysis of solid fuels with a high content of volatile materials; the development of new configurations of multiple fluidized bed systems aimed at the chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling process; the development of new fluidized bed configurations aimed at converting concentrated solar energy into electrical energy and/or materials (chemical storage, solar fuels)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gianluca Landi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility-CNR, P.le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: catalytic combustion (ultra-low concentrations as VOC abatement; conditions consistent with gas turbines operation); the production of hydrogen from fossil and renewable sources; up-grading by-products and/or waste streams (glycerol, organic solvents); catalytic oxidation of soot (DPF); NOx catalytic abatement; the development of innovative catalytic formulations; the development of multi-functional and hybrid structured catalytic reactors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Claudio Tregambi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering (DING), University of Sannio, Piazza Roma 21, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Interests: concentrated solar thermal technologies; thermochemical energy storage processes; fluidized beds; calcium/chemical looping technologies; CO2 capture and utilization or storage; torrefaction; pyrolysis; gasification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maurizio Troiano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: entrained-flow gasification of solid fuels; dynamics of multi-phase flows; fluidization and fluidized bed systems; chemical reaction engineering; reactor design and operation; heterogeneous reaction kinetics; fluidized bed machining of mechanical parts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world’s energy scenario is abruptly changing mainly due to the ongoing coal phase-out and the increasing share of renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar and biomass. The target of fully renewable energy production is inevitably approaching with a wide series of associated technological complexities. The electric grid stability related to the scarce dispatchability of the renewable sources and the difficulties of electrification of heavy transport, in particular in aviation and marine sectors, are still huge issues to be figured out. Energy carriers coming from renewable energies are recognized as a solution to mitigate the intrinsic fluctuations related to green power production, to substitute the fossil-derived transportation fuels and to accomplish the needs of seasonal and long-duration energy storage. A portfolio of energy carriers should be provided for a fully renewable energy scenario that takes the field of application, the energy carrier production technology and the local context of the renewable energy sources into account.

Thermal energy storage systems based on molten salts or solid materials can represent energy vectors for daily or weekly energy storage. Instead, thermochemical energy storage based on thermochemical cycles of solid materials that undergo a reversible reaction can, in principle, accomplish long-term and long-duration energy storage. Green hydrogen, ammonia, methane and other different liquid fuels produced from renewable resources have been proposed as energy carriers for the target of a fully renewable energy scenario. In this context, proper reactor/process configurations and suitable materials are needed in order to develop effective processes; in particular, the development of materials showing both improved thermodynamic and kinetic properties is a key factor for obtaining yields and efficiencies that allow the industrialization of thermochemical processes.

Concentrated solar thermal technologies represent a viable route toward the development of processes and technologies aiming at thermal and thermochemical energy storage as well as at the production of solar fuels. Thus, the aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the widespread diffusion of scientific and technological knowledge on the production and exploitation of energy carriers obtained by solar-driven thermochemical processes. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Thermal energy storage as sensible or latent heat from concentrated solar radiation;
  • Solar-assisted thermochemical cycles for the production of green fuels (e.g. H2, CO, syngas) or solid materials for long-term and/or long-duration energy storage;
  • Advanced materials for thermochemical cycles showing improved redox properties (thermodynamics, kinetics, etc.);
  • Solar-assisted biomass thermoconversion: reactor design, operation and performance;
  • Advanced structured reactors with improved energy and mass transfer efficiency under concentrated sunlight;
  • Stationary and mobile thermoconversion of solar-derived fuels;
  • Catalytic-assisted solar thermoconversion of solids: development of highly effective catalysts.

Dr. Roberto Solimene
Dr. Gianluca Landi
Dr. Maurizio Troiano
Dr. Claudio Tregambi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energy storage
  • concentrated solar radiation
  • thermochemical cycles
  • solar fuels
  • green fuel exploitation
  • biomass-to-fuel
  • redox materials
  • structured solar reactors
  • solid–solid catalysis

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3770 KiB  
Article
Chemical Looping Reforming with Perovskite-Based Catalysts for Thermochemical Energy Storage
by Stefano Padula, Claudio Tregambi, Maurizio Troiano, Almerinda Di Benedetto, Piero Salatino, Gianluca Landi and Roberto Solimene
Energies 2022, 15(22), 8556; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15228556 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1425
Abstract
The performance of a perovskite-based oxygen carrier for the partial oxidation of methane in thermochemical energy storage applications has been investigated. A synthetic perovskite with formula La0.6Sr0.4FeO3 has been scrutinized for Chemical Looping Reforming (CLR) of CH4 [...] Read more.
The performance of a perovskite-based oxygen carrier for the partial oxidation of methane in thermochemical energy storage applications has been investigated. A synthetic perovskite with formula La0.6Sr0.4FeO3 has been scrutinized for Chemical Looping Reforming (CLR) of CH4 under fixed-bed and fluidized-bed conditions. Temperature-programmed reduction and oxidation steps were carried out under fixed-bed conditions, together with isothermal reduction/oxidation cycles, to evaluate long-term perovskite performance. Under fluidized-bed conditions, isothermal reduction/oxidation cycles were carried out as well. Results obtained under fixed-bed and fluidized-bed conditions were compared in terms of oxygen carrier reactivity and stability. The oxygen carrier showed good reactivity and stability in the range 800–1000 °C. An overall yield of 0.6 Nm3 of syngas per kg of perovskite can be reached per cycle. The decomposition of CH4 catalyzed by the reduced oxide can also occur during the reduction step. However, deposited carbon is easily re-gasified through the Boudouard reaction, without affecting the reactivity of the material. Fluidized-bed tests showed higher conversion rates compared to fixed-bed conditions and allowed better control of CH4 decomposition, with a H2:CO ratio of around 2 and CO selectivity of around 0.8. However, particle attrition was observed and might be responsible for a loss of the inventory of up to 9%w. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production and Exploitation of Energy Carriers from Solar-Driven Thermochemical Processes)
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14 pages, 4967 KiB  
Article
Techno-Economic Assessment of the Integration of Direct Air Capture and the Production of Solar Fuels
by Enric Prats-Salvado, Nathalie Monnerie and Christian Sattler
Energies 2022, 15(14), 5017; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15145017 - 9 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2212
Abstract
Non-abatable emissions are one of the decarbonization challenges that could be addressed with carbon-neutral fuels. One promising production pathway is the direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide, followed by a solar thermochemical cycle and liquid fuel synthesis. In this study, we explore [...] Read more.
Non-abatable emissions are one of the decarbonization challenges that could be addressed with carbon-neutral fuels. One promising production pathway is the direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide, followed by a solar thermochemical cycle and liquid fuel synthesis. In this study, we explore different combinations of these technologies to produce methanol from an economic perspective in order to determine the most efficient one. For this purpose, a model is built and simulated in Aspen Plus®, and a solar field is designed and sized with HFLCAL®. The inherent dynamics of solar irradiation were considered with the meteorological data from Meteonorm® at the chosen location (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Four different integration strategies are assessed by determining the minimum selling price of methanol for each technology combination. These values were compared against a baseline with no synergies between the DAC and the solar fuels production. The results show that the most economical methanol is produced with a central low-temperature DAC unit that consumes the low-quality waste heat of the downstream process. Additionally, it is determined with a sensitivity analysis that the optimal annual production of methanol is 11.8 kt/y for a solar field with a design thermal output of 280 MW. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production and Exploitation of Energy Carriers from Solar-Driven Thermochemical Processes)
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23 pages, 6061 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Thermal Cycling Test and Heat-Charging Kinetics of Fe-Substituted Mn2O3 for Next-Generation Concentrated Solar Power Using Thermochemical Energy Storage at High Temperatures
by Nobuyuki Gokon, Kosuke Hayashi, Hiroki Sawaguri and Fumiya Ohashi
Energies 2022, 15(13), 4812; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15134812 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1512
Abstract
We studied the performance in terms of the long-term cyclic thermal storage and heat-charging kinetics of Fe-substituted manganese oxide for use in thermochemical energy storage at temperatures exceeding 550 °C in a next-generation concentrated solar power system in which a gas stream containing [...] Read more.
We studied the performance in terms of the long-term cyclic thermal storage and heat-charging kinetics of Fe-substituted manganese oxide for use in thermochemical energy storage at temperatures exceeding 550 °C in a next-generation concentrated solar power system in which a gas stream containing oxygen is used for reversible thermochemical processes. The Fe-substituted Mn2O3 was evaluated from the viewpoint of its microstructural characteristics, thermodynamic phase transitions, and long-term cycling stability. A kinetic analysis of the heat-charging mode was performed at different heating rates to formulate the kinetic equation and describe the reaction mechanism by determining the appropriate reaction model. Finally, the kinetics data for the sample obtained after the long-term cycling test were compared and evaluated with those of the as-prepared sample and kinetic literature data tested under different conditions. For the long-term cycled sample, the Avrami–Erofeev reaction model (An) with n = 2 describes the behavior of the first part of the charging mode, whereas the contracting area (R2) reaction model best fits the last half of the charging mode. For the as-prepared sample, except for the early stage of the charging mode (fractional conversion < 0.2), the contracting volume (R3) reaction model fits the charging mode over a fractional conversion range of 0.2–1.0 and the first-order (F1) reaction model fits in the fractional conversion range of 0.4–1.0. The predicted kinetic equations for both the samples were in good agreement with the experimental kinetic data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production and Exploitation of Energy Carriers from Solar-Driven Thermochemical Processes)
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