Direct solar thermal splitting of water and on site separation of the products .1. Theoretical evaluation of hydrogen yield

A process of hydrogen production by direct solar thermal water dissociation and in situ separation of hydrogen from the dissociation products by gas diffusion through a porous membrane is simulated by a theoretical model. The mole fraction of the species of dissociation products which leave the solar reactor in two gas streams are related by a system of 12 non-linear equations. An iterative solution of this system of equations enables calculation of the net hydrogen yield of the process. The variation of hydrogen yield with reactor temperature, with pressures on both sides of the membrane and with the fraction of gas flowrate that diffuses through the membrane is presented and discussed. (C) 1997 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. All rights reserved