Sensitivity analysis for a solar steam redox reformer

•A sensitivity and sizing analysis for a solar steam redox reformer is presented.•Reduction kinetics should be carefully considered when evaluating reactor performance.•Channel size, inlet temperature, and pressure can greatly effect reactor performance.

Interest in using renewable energy sources like solar energy for power production has grown because of the concern over CO2 emissions. One method of implementing solar energy for large scale power production is using hybrid solar fossil fuel power generation systems. Solar reforming has been shown to be a promising integration method with steam redox reforming to raise the chemical energy of the fuel. In this article, a sensitivity analysis for a solar steam redox reformer (proposed in Sheu and Ghoniem, 2016) with respect to different performance metrics is presented. Results show that the channel cross section, inlet gas temperature, and reformer pressure have the largest effect on the reactor performance. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the reduction kinetics can have a large effect on the calculated reactor performance and should be considered carefully. A reactor sizing analysis was also performed and results show that complete conversion can be achieved with a reasonable reactor size and that there is a tradeoff between conversion and cost/solar utilization efficiency. Moreover, a strategy for reactor design based on maximizing stand-alone performance as well as integration with a power cycle is discussed.