Coupling the Six Flux Absorption–Scattering Model to the Henyey–Greenstein scattering phase function: Evaluation and optimization of radiation absorption in solar heterogeneous photoreactors

•The coupling of Six Flux Model to the Henyey–Greenstein phase function is achieved.•The model is validated by comparison to Monte Carlo simulations.•The model discerns the photocatalysts scattering modes.•Phase functions evaluated on radiation absorption of solar reactors for first time.•Photoreactors optimization including the effect of phase functions is presented.

Robust and practical models describing the radiation field in heterogeneous photocatalytic systems, used in emerging environmental, photochemical and renewable energy applications, are fundamental for the further development of these technologies. The six-flux radiation absorption–scattering model (SFM) has shown to be particularly suitable for the modeling of the radiation field in solar pilot-plant photoreactors. In this study, the SFM was coupled to the Henyey–Greenstein (HG) scattering phase function in order to assemble the model with a more accurate description of the scattering phenomenon provided by this phase function. This new version of SFM, named as SFM-HG, was developed through fitting the Local Volumetric Rate of Photon Absorption (LVRPA) determined in a flat photoreactor to the “pseudo-experimental” LVRPA calculated by a Monte Carlo (MC) approach, which included the HG expression. As a result, simple mathematical correlations describing the SFM-HG scattering probabilities as function of the HG scattering parameter were determined. The SFM-HG was validated through a comparison with the MC model predictions of the Total Rate of Photon Absorption (TRPA) in the slab photoreactor. A RMSE% of approximately 5% demonstrated satisfactory agreement between the models. The SFM-HG was further applied to evaluate the impact of selected scattering phase functions on the absorption of radiation in solar photoreactors, operated with commercial TiO2 photocatalyst. The results have established that, the apparent optical thickness, τapp (or τapp,max for tubes) a parameter derived from the SFM approach, is the most appropriate for the design and optimization of photocatalytic reactors. This parameter is insensitive to scattering albedos and phase functions. CPC, tubular and flat-plate photoreactors should be designed with τapp,max = 12, τapp,max = 7 and τapp = 4.5 respectively.

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