Solar Fuels

3Design Optimization of a Solar Fuel Production Plant by Water Splitting With a Copper-Chlorine Cycle

Samane Ghandehariun^1*, Shayan Sadeghi¹ and Greg F. Naterer²

¹Sustainable Energy Research Group (SERG), School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

²Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada

Abstract

Due to growing concerns about climate change, the production of renewable fuels has attracted the attention of many researchers recently. Solar energy is an abundant energy resource and a good alternative for the transition toward a more sustainable energy future. Solar energy can be used in many ways to produce solar fuels, for instance, by cracking of hydrocarbons or splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. Among these methods, the utilization of thermochemical cycles to produce hydrogen from water is one of the most promising ways of producing solar fuel. The copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) high-performance thermochemical cycle requires relatively lower temperatures compared to other thermochemical cycles and is a good choice for integration with solar power tower systems. In this study, the design and optimization of a standalone plant for hydrogen generation, powered by solar energy, is investigated. To supply the required thermal energy of the Cu-Cl cycle, and also, to store the thermal energy throughout the night, a high-temperature carbonate molten salt (LiNaK) is used. ...