TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The first unit operation is an endothermic reactor, the second unit operation is an exothermic reactor, and the third unit operation is a vaporizer. The endothermic reactor is at least one of a methane reforming reactor or a reverse-water gas shift reactor, and the exothermic reactor is a hydrocarbon synthesis reactor. The exothermic reactor comprises at least one of a methanol synthesis reactor, a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, a water-gas shift reactor or a methanation reactor. In the system, channels inside of the methane reforming reactor contain an active catalyst, where the first sets of reactants are reacted in the presence of the catalyst. The hydrocarbon synthesis reactor provides heat to the vaporizer and produces syngas and a liquid hydrocarbon product, where the syngas and the liquid hydrocarbon product are passed to a separator where the liquid hydrocarbon product is recovered, and components of the syngas are used for at least to provide heat for a heat engine through a combustion process or to power a fuel cell. The system further comprises: a heat pump for taking in heat from the hydrocarbon synthesis reactor and providing additional heat to the vaporizer; and a heat exchanger for preheating the reactants before entering at least one of the reactors and for cooling the products exiting the reactors. The heat exchanger is a micro-channel heat exchanger or a meso-channel heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has a minimum exergetic efficiency of 85%. The heat exchanger has a minimum heat transfer power density of 10 watts/ cm3. In the method (M2): the flow mechanisms have a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the first material; and the receiver is a reactor or a heat exchanger. The power system is a combined cycle power plant requiring heat for steam generation for a factory or chemical process facility. The reactor is a meso-channel reactor or a micro-channel reactor. The solar thermochemical receiver further comprises a passive structure to provide adaptive flow control within the receiver. The tiled receiver reactor has a solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency of at least 60%. The tiled receiver reactor and the counter radial flow reactor further comprise a passive structure to provide adaptive flow control within the reactor. The solar thermochemical receiver comprises a solar thermochemical augment of at least 20%, which is measured as the increase in the (higher heating value in the reacting stream) divide by (higher heating value of the reactants) x 100. The flow channel or channel is a micro-channel or a meso-channel. The receivers (R1) and (R2) are heat exchanger or reactor. The flow control device is made from a material with lower or higher thermal expansion compared to the flow channel, where the material is tungsten. In the receiver (R1): the device is coupled to the channel walls via two different length legs of the device; and fluid in the flow channel exits through the outlet orifice. The receiver (R2) comprises many flow channels, each flow channel includes an inlet, an outlet, and an insert, and movement of the insert is constrained by the pin. The insert is constructed from a refractory material, where the refractory material is tungsten.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method (M1) further comprises preheating the first set of reactants before entering at least one of the reactors and cooling the products exiting the reactors. In the method (M3), the separating allows methanol to be recovered with unreacted syngas components which is sent on to provide either heat for a heat engine through a combustion process or to power a fuel cell. The method (M5) further comprises combusting the product stream in order to provide heat to a power system or for other unit operations requiring heat. Preferred Components: In the process (P1), the hydrocarbon synthesis includes at least one of methanol synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch reaction, water-gas shift reaction, or methanation reaction. The process (P1) achieves carbon utilization in fuel production above 85%. In the process (P2): the heat of reaction from the exothermic reactor is used to produce a portion of the first set of reactants; and the fourth set of products are combusted to provide heat for a heat engine or reacted in a fuel cell, where at least a portion of effluent from an anode side of the fuel cell is recycled to the first endothermic reactor.