A discrete element approach to model packed bed thermal storage

David Gaviño, Eduardo Cortés, Jesús García, Ignacio Calderón-Vásquez, José Cardemil, Danilo Estay and Rodrigo Barraza

Applied Energy, 2022, vol. 325, issue C, No S0306261922010947

Abstract: A discrete 1-D Eulerian and 3-D Lagrangian model was developed to analyze heat transfer in packed beds composed of spherical particles to study a in more detail the solid phase phenomenon. The proposed thermal model simulates the particles using the discrete element method, generating a particle distribution inside the packed bed. It considers direct and indirect conduction, convection, and radiation and evaluates the local heat transfer phenomena. One of its main advantages is its flexibility to deliver results at the particle level, which provides detailed information than continuous models. A comparison with experimental data from the literature indicates good agreement, with mean absolute errors lower than 8 K. Finally, through a sensitivity analysis, it was demonstrated that the selection of an appropriate Nusselt number is essential because it is related to the convective heat transfer, which corresponds to 85.8% of the total heat transfer during the charging process. For the standby process, particle fluid conduction is the predominant heat transfer mechanism, accounting for 27.5% of the total heat transfer.

Keywords: Pack bed thermal energy storage; Thermal analysis; Simulation and radiation heat exchange; Numerical modeling; Sensible heat storage; Thermal stratification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119821

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