Analysis of gas dissociation solar thermal power system

Energy collected at high temperatures in a set of scattered solar furnaces can be delivered to a central facility at intermediate temperature by using a polyatomic gas in a closed cycle circulation system. For example, gaseous SO3 dissociates at 800 to 1000 C to form SO2 + O2 with absorption of heat; the products recombine in the presence of a catalyst at 500 to 600 C liberating the heat of recombination. A system using SO3 for energy transfer and scaled for production of a continuous 100 MW of electrical power with 3 days of cloudy-weather storage is outlined. Alternate working fluids CH4 + H2O, COCl2 and NF3 are compared. Selected design options, potential problem areas, and possibilities of utilizing the collected heat for chemical processing are discussed.