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Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Solar Thermal Conversion of 

Biomass to Synthesis Gas

Cooperative Research and Development 

Final Report

CRADA Number: CRD-09-00335

NREL Technical Contact: Judy Netter

CRADA Report

NREL/TP-7A10-57184

August 2013
NOTICE

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. 

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Cover Photos: (left to right) photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 16416, photo from SunEdison, NREL 17423, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 

16560, photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 17613, photo by Dean Armstrong, NREL 17436, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 17721.

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1

This report is available at no cost from the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 

at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Cooperative Research and Development Final Report

In accordance with Requirements set forth in Article XI.A(3) of the CRADA document, this 

document is the final CRADA report, including a list of Subject Inventions, to be forwarded to 

the Office of Science and Technical Information as part of the commitment to the public to 

demonstrate results of federally funded research.

CRADA Number: CRD-09-00335

CRADA Title: Solar Thermal Conversion of Biomass to Synthesis Gas

Parties to the Agreement: University of Colorado at Boulder

Joint Work Statement Funding Table showing DOE commitment:

Estimated Costs NREL Shared Resources

Year 1 $ 00.00

Year 2 $ 00.00

Year 3 $ 00.00

TOTALS $ 00.00

Abstract of CRADA work:

The CRADA is established to facilitate the development of solar thermal technology to 

efficiently and economically convert biomass into useful products (synthesis gas and derivatives) 

that can replace fossil fuels. NREL’s High Flux Solar Furnace will be utilized to validate 

system modeling, evaluate candidate reactor materials, conduct on-sun testing of the process, and 

assist in the development of solar process control system. This work is part of a DOE – USDA 

3-year, $1M grant.

Summary of Research Results:

The research results are contained in the following paper co-authored by Carl Bingham of 

NREL:

Lichty, P.R.; Perkins, C.; Woodruff, B.; Bingham, C.; and Weimer, A.W. (2010). “Rapid Hightemperature Solar-thermal Biomass Gasification in a Prototype Cavity Reactor,” Journal of 

Solar Energy Engineering, 132, 011012.

Martinek, J.; Bingham, C.; Weimer, A.W.; (2012). “Computational Modeling and On-sun 

Model 

Validation for a Multiple Tube Solar Reactor with Specularly Reflective Cavity Walls, Part 1: 

Heat 
2

This report is available at no cost from the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 

at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Transfer Model” Chemical Engineering Science, 81, 298-310.

Martinek, J.; Bingham, C.; and Weimer, A.W. (2012). “Computational Modeling of a Multiple 

Tube Solar Reactor with Specularly Reflective Cavity Walls, Part 2: Steam Gasification of 

Carbon,” Chemical 

Engineering Science, 81, 285-297.

Saade, E.; Bingham, C.; Clough, D.E.; and Weimer, A.W. (2012). “Dynamics of a Solar-thermal 

Transport-tube Reactor,” Chemical Engineering Journal, 213, 272-285.

Subject Inventions Listing: None

Report Date: May 29, 2013

Responsible Technical Contact at Alliance/NREL: Judy Netter

This document contains NO confidential, protectable, or proprietary information.