Induction-heated resonant reactors for electrified thermochemistry

Connor Cremers, Chenghao Wan, Calvin H. Lin, Zhennan Ru, Kesha Tamakuwala, Ariana B. Hofelmann, Dolly Mantle, Matthew W. Kanan, Juan Rivas-Davila, Jonathan A. Fan

We present induction-heated resonant reactors, a new concept in electrified thermochemistry in which the reactor itself serves as a volumetric electromagnetic resonator heated through resonant wireless power transfer. We use the Swiss roll resonator as a model system and show that it can be designed to support uniform volumetric heating profiles and enhanced heat transfer characteristics, creating opportunities for process intensification in scaled systems. Compared to conventional (i.e., non-resonant) induction heating systems, resonant reactors can achieve exceptionally high system efficiencies through the combination of near-unity power-to-heat efficiencies and low thermal losses, both enabled by the utilization of resonant energy transfer. These concepts demonstrate how the integration of electromagnetic power transduction with thermochemical reaction engineering enables new opportunities for utilizing green electricity in sustainable chemical conversion.