Preliminary assessment of the potential for integrating solar thermal central receiver technology with fuels and chemicals processes

Abstract

Most solar thermal systems are designed to concentrate the sun's energy and transfer it to a working fluid. The energy in the working fluid is usually converted to electricity or used as process heat in an industrial application. An alternative to conventional process heat application would be to pass the object of process heating directly through the solar receiver and eliminate the intermediate heat transfer loop. This approach to process heating could potentially work for a broad range of industrial process heat applications and solar thermal technologies. This report focuses on the prospects for integrating solar thermal central receivers with fuels and chemicals processes.