Patent ID: 8420032

Claim:
A solar thermochemical reactor comprising: a thermal reduction chamber to thermally reduce a first plurality of reactive particles through direct heating by solar energy at a first pressure; a fuel production chamber coupled to the thermal reduction chamber, the fuel production chamber to reduce a reactant fluid by oxidizing the first plurality of reactive particles at a second pressure; a conveyance to move the first plurality of reactive particles between the thermal reduction chamber and the fuel production chamber, wherein the conveyance is to maintain a pressure differential between the first and second pressures while continually moving the first plurality of reactive particles; and a heat exchanger disposed between the thermal reduction chamber and the fuel production chamber, the heat exchanger to transfer heat from the first plurality of reactive particles to a second plurality of reactive particles as the first and second plurality of reactive particles are oppositely conveyed between the thermal reduction chamber and the fuel production chamber, wherein the heat exchanger is a countercurrent exchanger having a hot side inlet coupled to an outlet of the thermal reduction chamber and a hot side outlet coupled to an inlet of the fuel production chamber, and having a cold side inlet coupled to an outlet of the fuel production chamber and a cold side outlet coupled to an inlet of the thermal reduction chamber, and wherein the heat exchanger comprises: an elevator, the elevator having a hollow shaft with a longitudinal axis, an interior of the hollow shaft to convey the first plurality of reactive particles in a first direction along the longitudinal axis, and an exterior of the hollow shaft to convey the second plurality of reactive particles in a second direction along the longitudinal axis.