1

Solar Thermal Fuel Production

Christian Sattler1, Hans Müller-Steinhagen2, Martin Roeb1, Dennis

Thomey1, Martina Neises1 1 DLR Solar Research, Solar Chemical Engineering 2 Technical University of Dresden

christian.sattler@dlr.de

2

Overview

Reasons for solar thermal fuel production

Two examples

SET-Plan

Powertrains for Europe

Concentrating Solar Systems

Solar Fuels short and long term applications

Processes

Projects and existing pilot plants

Summary and Outlook

3

Political view: SET-Plan (2007) European Strategic Plan for Energy Technology

Development of energy technologies plays a crucial role for climate protection and the security of the global and European energy supply

Goals of the EU until 2020 (20/20/20)

20% higher energy efficiency, 20% less GHG emission,,

20% renewable energy

Actions in the field of energy efficiency, codes and standards, funding mechanisms, and the charging of carbon emissions necessary

Significant research effort is necessary for the development of a new generation of CO2 emission free energy technologies, like

Offshore-Wind,

Solar

2nd generation Biomass

Goal of the EU until 2050: 80% less CO2 emissions than in 1990

4

Production-, Storage- and Infrastructure topics of the European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell JTI

5

2010 fact based analysis on a portfolio of power-trains by McKinsey & Company for:

Car manufacturers: BMW AG, Daimler AG, Ford, General Motors LLC, Honda R&D, Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Nissan, Renault, Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen

Oil and gas: ENI Refining and Marketing, Galp Energia, OMV Refining and Marketing GmbH, Shell Downstream Services International B.V., Total Raffinage Marketing

Utilities: EnBW Baden-Wuerttemberg AG, Vattenfall

Industrial gas companies: Air Liquide, Air Products, The Linde Group

Equipment car manufacturers: Intelligent Energy Holdings plc, Powertech

Wind: Nordex

Electrolyser companies: ELT Elektrolyse Technik, Hydrogenics, Hydrogen Technologies, Proton Energy Systems

NGO: European Climate Foundation

GOs: European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, NOW GmbH

Available online at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/fch/index_en.cfm

Example for industrial view: „Powertrains for Europe“

6

Development of EU GHG emissions [Gt CO2e]

7

Three Power Trains FCEV, BEV, and PHEV were evaluated against ICEs in three scenarios, on three types of cars, small, medium and large covering 75% of the European Fleet

8

Results

9

Total EU car fleet, million vehicles

10

Hydrogen production – benchmark processes for solar technologies

11

Concentrating Solar Technologies

12

Energy Routes

Hydrogen

Fossil Resources Biomass PV

Radiation

Solar Energy

Power

Electrolysis PhotochemistryThermochemistry

Mechanical Energy

Heat

Heat

CO2

Synthetic Fuels

Solar-thermal

13

Temperature Levels of CSP Technologies3500 °C

1500 °C

400 °C

150 °C50 °C

Paraboloid: „Dish“

Solar Tower (Central Receiver System)

Parabolic Trough / Linear Fresnel

14

Annual Efficiency of Solar Power Towers

Power Tower 100MWth

Optical and thermal efficiency / Receiver-Temperature

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400

Receiver-Temperature [°C]

Op

tic

al

eff

icie

nc

y a

nd

th

erm

al

an

nu

al

us

e

eff

icie

nc

y [

%]

R.Buck, A. Pfahl, DLR, 2007

15

Solar Towers, “Central Receiver Systems”

PS10+20, Sevilla, EPSA CESA-1, Almería, E Solar-Two, Daggett, USASolarturm Jülich, D

16

Principle of the solar thermal fuel production

Solar Tower

HeatChemicalReactor

FuelH2

CO + H2

Energy ConverterFuel Cell

Transportation

Power Production

RecoursesNatural GasWater, CO2

Industry

Transportation

17

CO2 Reduction by solar heating of state of the art processes like steam methane reforming and coal gasification

kg/k

g

SMR

SSMR

CG

SPCR

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

SMR SSMR CG SPCR

CO2 Reduction 20 – 50%

18

Efficiency comparison for solar hydrogen production from water (SANDIA, 2008)*

Process T[°C]

Solar plant Solar-receiver+ power [MWth]

η T/C

(HHV)

η Optical η Receiver

ηAnnual

EfficiencySolar – H2

Elctrolysis (+solar-thermal power)

NA Actual Solar tower

Molten Salt 700

30% 57% 83% 14%

High temperature steam electrolysis

850 Future Solar tower

Particle 700

45% 57% 76,2% 20%

Hybrid Sulfur-process

850 Future Solar tower

Particle 700

51% 57% 76% 22%

Hybrid Copper Chlorine-process

600 Future Solar tower

Molten Salt700

49% 57% 83% 23%

Nickel Manganese Ferrit Process

1800 Future Solar dish

Rotating Disc < 1

52% 77% 62% 25%

*G.J. Kolb, R.B. Diver SAND 2008-1900

19

Short-term CO2-Reduction: Solar Reforming

20

Steam and CO2-Reforming of Natural Gas

Steam reforming: H2O + CH4 3 H2 + 1 CO

CO2 Reforming: CO2 + CH4 2 H2 + 2 CO

Reforming of mixtures of CO2/H2O is possible and common

Use of CO2 for methanol production:

e.g. 2H2 + CO CH3COH (Methanol)

Both technologies can be driven by solar energy as shown in the projects: CAESAR, ASTERIX, SOLASYS, SOLREF…

21

Solar Methane Reforming – Technologies

Reformer heated externally (700 to 850°C)Optional heat storage (up to 24/7) E.g. ASTERIX project

Irradiated reformer tubes (up to 850°C), temperature gradient

Approx. 70 % Reformer-Development: CSIRO, Australia and in Japan; Research in Germany and Israel

Australian solar gas plant in preparation

Catalytic active direct irradiated absorber

Approx. 90 % Reformer-High solar flux, works only by direct solar radiation

DLR coordinated projects: Solasys, Solref; Research in Israel, Japan

decoupled/allothermal indirect (tube reactor) Integrated, direct, volumetric

Source: DLR

22

Project Asterix: Allothermal Steam Reforming of Methan

DLR, Steinmüller, CIEMAT

180 kW plant at the Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain (1990)

Convective heated tube cracker as reformer

Tubular receiver for air heating

23

“Indirect heated“ tube receiver: CSIRO Solargas

Indirect reactor technology

Second tower at the CSIRO Solar Centre Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Test facility for different Reactors

One will be the volumetric SOLREF reactor

Coordination by CSIRO, DLR is partner in an IPHE project

24

Direct heated volumetric receivers:SOLASYS, SOLREF (EU FP4, FP6)

Pressurised solar receiver,

Developed by DLR

Tested at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Power coupled into the process gas: 220 kWth and 400 kWth

Reforming temperature: between 765°C and 1000°C

Pressure: SOLASYS 9 bar, SOLREF 15 bar

Methane Conversion:max. 78 % (= theor. balance)

DLR (D), WIS (IL), ETH (CH), Johnson Matthey (UK), APTL (GR), HYGEAR (NL), SHAP (I)

25

500 kW SYNPET solar reactor

Plataforma Solar de Almería

Production: 100-180 kg/h Synthesis gas

CIEMAT (E), ETH (CH), PDVESA (VEN)

Pilot plant for solar pet-coke reformig - SYNPET

T Denk et al., CIEMAT, 2009

26

Example: Possible sites in Algeria

50 km distance to pipelines Acceptable DNI Available Land

kWh/m²/y

Pipelines Fields

27

Analysis of relevant Technologies for H2 Production (until 2020)

NG

SMR

NG

Solar-SMR

Grid Electricity

electrolysis

Wind

electrolysis

Biomass

H2 production cost8*

€/GJ

12*

€/GJ31 €/GJ 50-67 €/GJ 25-33 €/GJ

Positive impact on security of energy supply

modest

modest - high high high high

Positive impact on GHG emission reduction

neutral -

modest

modest - hig

h

negative -neutral high high

*assuming a NG price of 4€/GJ; NG Solar-SMR: expected costs for large scale, solar-only

28

Long-term: Water splitting processes

29

Promising and well researched Thermochemical Cycles

  Steps Maximum Temperature (°C)

LHV Efficiency (%)

Sulphur Cycles      

Hybrid Sulphur (Westinghouse, ISPRA Mark 11) 2 900 (1150 without catalyst)

43

Sulphur Iodine (General Atomics, ISPRA Mark 16)

3 900 (1150 without catalyst)

38

Volatile Metal Oxide Cycles      

Zinc/Zinc Oxide 2 1800 45

Hybrid Cadmium   1600 42

Non-volatile Metal Oxide Cycles      

Iron Oxide 2 2200 42

Cerium Oxide 2 2000 68

Ferrites 2 1100 – 1800 43

Low-Temperature Cycles      

Hybrid Copper Chlorine 4 530 39

30

Process scheme of a metal oxide TCC*

1200°C

800 – 1200 °C

2. Splitting: Regeneration

1. Step: Water splitting

O2

H2O O2 H2

H2O + MOred MOox + H2

MOox MOred + ½ O2

Net reaction: H2O H2 + ½ O2

MOred

MOredMOox

MOox

*Roeb, Müller-Steinhagen, Science-Mag., Aug. 2010.

31

Pilotplant for solar water splitting by ferrites HYDROSOL 2

M. Roeb et al., DLR, 2009

100 kW HYDROSOL 2 (EU FP6) Solarreaktor,Plataforma Solar de Almería, SpanienAPTL (GR), CIEMAT (E), DLR (D), Johnsson Matthey (UK), STC (DK)

Concentration of hydrogen detected by GC

32

Scale-up: 100kW-pilot-plant

33

Modelling-ControlSoftware

(Labview®)

Hydrogen ProductionModel

Modelling of the pilot plant - Overview Modelling:

TemperatureModel

(Matlab/Simulink®)

Heliostatfield-Simulation ToolSTRAL (C++)Insulated Power (#1)

Parameter

Parameter

Temperature (#2)

Parameter

Hydrogen Amount (#3)

34

Modelling – Temperature model:

KFQ aKQ

Collecting formulas of the heat flows (simplified balance!)

Heat flows: heat radiation, heat conduction and convection

HSQ

HSQ aFQKFQ

aKQ

KKQ

GaBaQKGaQ

aFQ

GBQ

35

Modelling – Temperature model:

First Verification of open loop control system

Temperatures East (23.04.2009)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

10:1

5:00

10:3

0:00

10:4

5:00

11:0

0:00

11:1

5:00

11:3

0:00

11:4

5:00

12:0

0:00

12:1

5:00

12:3

0:00

12:4

5:00

13:0

0:00

13:1

5:00

13:3

0:00

13:4

5:00

14:0

0:00

14:1

5:00

14:3

0:00

14:4

5:00

15:0

0:00

Time

T [

°C]

Temperature Simulated

Temperature Measured

Regeneration

Production

Input:

Simulated power East

Sampling rate (Sim.):

every second

Sampling rate (Exp.):

Every second

Average Deviation: 6.5%

36

Conclusion and Outlook

37

Future Solar Thermal Plants

Production of solar fuels (renewable H2 and CH4 / CH3OH), Recycling of CO2, Power production and Desalination (H2O)

CO2

H2O

Sea water

Desalinated Water

CH4, CH3OH

H2

Heat

Power

38

Conclusion and Outlook

CO2 lean/free hydrogen is crucial for the energy economy no matter how the development will be

To achieve the energy/emission goals for 2020 promising renewable technologies like solar thermal must be implemented now, at the right places

Things to be done:

Secure and enhance the know-how by strong co-operations of industry and R&D

Close technological gaps

Transfer of the technology to industry

Provide technology for growing markets in solar regions

39

Acknowledgment

The Projects HYDROSOL, HYDROSOL II; HYTHEC, HYCYCLES, Hi2H2, INNOHYP-CA, SOLHYCARB and SOLREF were co-financed by the European Commission

HYDROSOL 3-D and ADEL are co-financed by the European Joint Technology Initiative on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

HYDROSOL was awarded

Eco Tech Award Expo 2005, Tokyo

IPHE Technical Achievement Award 2006

Descartes Research Price 2006

40

Mahalo for your attention!