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![]() by Staff Writers Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 18, 2019
The transition from fossil to renewable fuels is one of the most important challenges of the future. The SUN-to-LIQUID project takes on this challenge by producing renewable transportation fuels from water and carbon dioxide with concentrated sunlight: The project, which is funded by the EU and Switzerland, has now successfully demonstrated the first synthesis of solar kerosene. "The SUN-to-LIQUID core solar technology and the integrated chemical plant were experimentally validated under real field conditions relevant to industrial implementation," said Aldo Steinfeld of ETH Zurich, who leads the development of the solar thermochemical reactor. "This technological demonstration can have important implications for the transportation sectors, especially for the long-haul aviation and shipping sectors strongly dependent on drop-in hydrocarbon fuels," announced project coordinator Andreas Sizmann of Bauhaus Luftfahrt, "we are now a step closer to living on a renewable 'energy income' instead of burning our fossil 'energy heritage'. This is a necessary step to protect our environment."
From the laboratory to the field This intense solar flux, verified by the flux measurement system developed by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) makes it possible to reach reaction temperatures of more than 1500 degrees Celsius within the solar reactor positioned at the top of the tower. The solar reactor, developed by project partner ETH Zurich, produces synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, from water and carbon dioxide via a thermochemical redox cycle. An on-site gas-to-liquid plant that was developed by the project partner HyGear processes this gas to kerosene. DLR has many years of experience in the development of solar-thermal chemical processes and their components. In the SUN-to-LIQUID project, DLR was responsible for measuring the solar field and concentrated solar radiation, for developing concepts for optimised heat recovery and - as in the previous SOLAR-JET project - for computer simulations of the reactor and the entire plant. Researchers from the DLR Institute of Solar Research and the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology used virtual models to scale up the solar production of kerosene from the laboratory to a megawatt-scale plant and to optimise the design and operation of the plant. For SUN-to-LIQUID, DLR solar researchers developed a flux density measurement system that makes it possible to measure the intensity of highly concentrated solar radiation directly in front of the reactor with minimal interruption of its operation. This data is necessary to operate the plant safely and to determine the efficiency of the reactor.
Unlimited supply of sustainable fuel
Project background SUN-to-LIQUID joins leading European research organisations and companies in the field of solar thermochemical fuel research, namely ETH Zurich, IMDEA Energy, DLR, Abengoa Energia and HyGear Technology and Services B.V. The coordinator Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V. is also responsible for technology and system analyses. ARTTIC supports the Research Consortium with project management and communication.
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