A Review on Prototype of Middle-Temperature Solar Receiver Reactor With Parabolic Trough Concentrator

This paper manufactured an original middle-temperature solar receiver/reactor prototype, positioned along the focalline of one-axis parabolic trough concentrator, representing the development of a new kind of solar thermochemical technology. A 4 kW prototype solar reactor at around 220–280°C, which is combined with a linear receiver, was originally fabricated. A basic principle of the design of the middle-temperature solar reactor is identified and described. A representative experiment of solar-driven methanol decomposition was carried out. Experimental tests were conducted from 220°C to 280°C under mean solar flux of 330–830 W/m2 and at a given methanol feeding rate of 1.8 L/h. The conversion of methanol decomposition yielded up to 55–90%, and the efficiency of solar thermal energy conversion to chemical energy reached 40–75%. The experimental results obtained here prove that the novel solar receiver/reactor prototype introduced in this paper can provide a promising approach to effectively utilize middle temperature solar thermal energy by means of solar thermo chemical processes.