Experimental investigation of methanol decomposition with mid- and low-temperature solar thermal energy

Mid‐ and low‐temperature solar thermal energy can be transformed into chemical energy of the syngas by the endothermic reaction of the methanol decomposition. This process can overcome the disadvantages such as the low energy density, the intermission and the unequal distribution in the utilization of solar energy. In this study, a mid‐ and low‐temperature solar receiver/reactor prototype of 5 kW was fabricated, which was installed along the focal line of a one‐axis parabolic trough concentrator. The integration principle of the solar thermal energy and the thermochemical process for the solar receiver/reactor was also proposed. The kinetic characteristics of the methanol decomposition and the energy conversion in the mid‐ and low‐temperature solar thermochemical process were investigated. Some encouraging results, such as the methanol conversion could reach more than 90%, the H2 selectivity is in the range of 50–99%, the mole concentration of syngas is about 35–95% and the efficiency of the solar thermal energy converted into the chemical energy approximates 60%, are obtained. As a result, the promising approach can be introduced for effectively utilizing the mid‐ and low‐temperature solar thermal energy by means of the solar thermochemical process. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.