Radiation heat transfer within a high-temperature solar thermochemical reactor that features two cavities in series is considered. The inner cavity is subjected to concentrated solar radiative power entering through a spectrally selective window positioned at its aperture. The outer cavity is a well-insulated enclosure containing the inner cavity. It serves as the reaction chamber and is subjected to thermal radiation emitted from the inner cavity. A radiation heat transfer analysis based on the radiosity enclosure theory is formulated and solved using the gray-band approximation for the selective (quartz) window. Energy absorption efficiencies and temperatures are determined and compared to the windowless case.

Issue Section:
Technical Brief
Keywords:
chemical reactors, solar absorber-convertors, temperature, thermochemistry, heat radiation, absorption
Topics:
Absorption, Cavities, Solar energy, Temperature, Thermal radiation, Radiation (Physics)
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Copyright © 2004
 by ASME
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