Abstract
Global temperature rise was approached the climate target set by the Paris Agreement. Few feasible technical solutions were available for mitigating climate change by removing methane from the atmosphere. The paper proposed a solar chimney power plant plus solar pond (SCPP-SP) system. Atmospheric methane was eliminated by enhancing synergistic oxidation between chlorine atoms and hydroxyl radicals. A numerical model incorporating flow, heat transfer, chemical reactions and power generation was developed to evaluate the performance of the system. The carbon emission reduction performance of the system was investigated. The results revealed that turbine rotational speed and relative humidity were key parameters affecting system performance. Increasing the turbine speed raised the methane removal rate from 6.13 g/h to 7.58 g/h, and the contribution ratio of chlorine atoms increased from 63.3% to 76.6%. A rise in relative humidity had a weaker effect on the removal rate but strengthened the hydroxyl radical-dominated oxidation pathway. The maximum improvements in photocatalytic efficiency and methane removal rate reached 16.20% and 16.25%, respectively. The maximum power output and carbon reduction rate of the system reached 82.45 kW and 80.26 kg/h respectively, at a turbine speed of 180 rpm and a relative humidity of 80%. This study evaluated the performance of the system in removing atmospheric methane and reducing carbon emissions, and provided theoretical tools for its subsequent optimization.
Abstract by the authors, reproduced under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Original publication via the link below.