Solar-thermal catalytic reactor
AssigneeNational Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
InventorsChristopher Ryan Riley, Kenneth Miguel Armijo, Clifford K. Ho
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas processing system includes an input gas supply, an output gas storage container and/or an inlet to a secondary reactor, and a solar-thermal reactor. The solar-thermal reactor uses a solar collector to focus sunlight onto a reactor, the reactor having a housing that encloses a reaction chamber, a catalyst arranged therein, an inlet for receiving the input gas and an outlet for expelling the output gas. Sunlight is focused by the solar collector to heat the reactor and thereby chemically convert the input gas from the gas supply into the output gas that can be stored in the output gas container or directed towards the secondary reactor.
Claims20
A gas processing system comprising:
- an input gas supply;
- at least one of an output gas storage container or a downstream reactor inlet;
- a solar-thermal reactor comprising a solar collector and a reactor that is heated by the solar collector, the reactor comprising:
- a housing having an inlet for receiving a hydrocarbon input gas and an outlet for expelling an output gas, wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the input gas supply and the outlet is in fluid communication with the at least one of the output gas storage container or the downstream reactor inlet;
- a reaction chamber enclosed by the housing and in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet;
- and
- a catalyst arranged inside the reaction chamber;
- wherein the heat applied to the reactor by the solar collector heats the catalyst to a reaction temperature;
- and
- wherein input gas flows from the input gas source and through the thermal reactor from the inlet to the outlet to be chemically converted into the output gas that is stored in the output gas storage container or directed to the downstream reactor inlet to a secondary reactor.
A method of making gas processing system comprising:
- packing a catalyst into a reaction chamber of a reactor;
- connecting a gas supply to an inlet of the reactor;
- connecting an outlet of the reactor to a gas storage container;
- and
- positioning a solar collector to focus sunlight onto the reactor, wherein the sunlight focused onto the reactor heats the catalyst to a reaction temperature.
A method of processing gas, the method comprising:
- focusing sunlight with a solar collector to heat a reactor to a reaction temperature, the reactor including a housing, a reaction chamber, and a catalyst arranged inside the reaction chamber;
- supplying input gas to an inlet of the reactor;
- generating an output gas via a chemical reaction of the input gas in the reactor;
- and
- storing the output gas in a gas storage container or directing the output gas to a secondary reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.