Abstract
We present a theoretical and experimental study of a solar decomposition process for producing Zn and O2 from ZnO(s). The decomposition step occurs at temperatures near 2000 K, and the gaseous products are quenched. A numerical model that uses the latest kinetic data for the decomposition and reoxidation reactions suggests that Zn conversions as high as 80% can be obtained with solar flux densities of 2 MW m-2. The decomposition and quench were effected in a solar furnace and in a solar furnace simulator. Zn yields were as high as 90% depending in part on the dilution ratio and quenching surface's temperature.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2503-2517 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Chemical Engineering Science |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 14 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 15 1998 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Bundesamt fuer Energiewirschaft for supporting this work at the Paul Scherrer Institute. We also are grateful for the experimental and theortical advice we received from Prof. M. Ferrer. Finally we thank Prof D. Petitjean for performing the X-ray diffraction analysis for the CNRS experiments.
Keywords
- Decomposition
- Quench
- Solar chemistry
- Solar energy
- Solar fuel
- Zinc
- Zinc oxide
