The application of solar energy to high temperature industrial processes is considered to a potential pathways with strong potential to contribute to the decarbonizing of the ‘difficult to abate’ industrial sector.
However, to realize this potential it is necessary to overcome the challenges of integration of solar energy into complex industrial processes. Two potential pathways to achieve this could be through:
Gases has been found as a potential suitable HTF, enabling temperatures of > 850 °C. Nevertheless, despite the potential, the challenges associated with heating a gas with CST energy has been identified as the biggest barrier to the implementation of this technology, which is mainly attributed to the poor heat transfer properties of gases. Hence, new technologies are needed to reduce the technical challenges associated with heating gases using CST. On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide (HP) is an oxidant that has been recently identified as an energy carrier, which can be produced from solar energy. New technologies are also emerging for the use of HP in heavy industries. This seminar will present novel ideas in solar gas receivers and a new concept for the use of HP in cement and lime production technologies.
Dr Mehdi Jafarian is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Energy Technology.
He specializes in high temperature multi-phase flow systems, numerical and experimental thermo-fluids, reaction engineering and chemical process development and simulation. He received his B.S and M.S in Chemical Engineering from Shiraz University and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Adelaide. He is also leading several research projects on the production of hydrogen and decarburization of lime and cement industry. He is an author of more than 56 scientific peer-reviewed papers, including 45 peerreviewed journal papers in leading international journals, 11 conference papers, 5 commissioned reports and 4 provisional patents.