Decarbonisation of high-temperature endothermic chemical reaction processes using a novel turbomachine: robustness of the concept to feed variability

Abstract

This paper presents a revolutionary turbomachinery concept, referred to as the turbo-reactor, which has the potential to replace gas-fired radiant furnaces and decarbonise a wide range of hard-to-abate, high-temperature endothermic chemical reaction processes. Although previous studies by the authors have confirmed the feasibility of using a turbo-reactor for steam cracking reactions, the numerical investigation presented in this work broadens the scope of potential applications for the machine to a variety of energy-intensive chemical processes, including those used for hydrogen production. This step change in technology could be the catalyst needed to enable rapid scale-up of low-carbon hydrogen technology. The innovative design of the turbo-reactor is fundamentally based on converting all of the imparted mechanical energy into internal energy, rather than pressure. This enables temperatures of up to 1,700°C to be achieved within an axial length on the order of one metre, resulting in an increase in the power density of 50 to 1,000 times compared to a surface heat exchanger. This paper presents the first comprehensive analysis of the turbo-reactor’s robustness and controllability across a broad spectrum of feeds, chemical reaction stages, Mach number regimes, and operating points, conclusively demonstrating the feasibility of a universal stage design strategy for repeatedly imparting and dissipating energy for various endothermic reaction processes.