Effects of feed flow rate on the random packing characteristics and contact heat transfer characteristics of thermal energy storage particle piles for renewable energy systems

Xiaohui Gong, Peng Sun, Fanghe Li, Yaopeng Li, Yujiao Gui and Bin Zheng

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 242, issue C

Abstract: Particle thermal energy storage systems are one of the most important technologies for reducing the use of fossil fuels and promoting renewable energy for electricity generation. In order to clarify the random packing characteristics and contact heat transfer characteristics of thermal energy storage particles in the packed bed, a random particle packing and contact heat transfer model was established based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM), and the effects of the feed flow rate on the random packing characteristics and contact heat transfer characteristics of the thermal energy storage particle pile was investigated by numerical simulation. The results show that, with the increase of the feed flow rate, the packing rate of the particles decreases linearly, the average coordination number decreases, the initial thermal energy storage capacity decreases, the heat flux decreases gradually, the temperature uniformity of the particle pile deteriorates. When the feed flow rate was increased from 5 kg/s to 25 kg/s, the localized packing rate reduction near the wall was 2.1 times that of overall packing rate reduction, the number of contacts per unit area decreased by 2.9 % and the average coordination number of particles was reduced by 4 %. The initial thermal energy storage decreased by 2.1 %.

Keywords: Particle packed bed; Feed flow rate; Random packing characteristics; Contact heat transfer characteristics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:242:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125001338

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122471

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