ISSN Online: 2377-424X
ISBN Print: 978-1-56700-474-8
ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-473-1
International Heat Transfer Conference 16
NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER IN A STRUCTURED PACKED BED OF POROUS SPHERICAL PARTICLES
Abstrakt
Mass and momentum transfer characteristics of a structured packed bed of porous spherical particles are numerically investigated for use in solar thermochemical applications. The structured packed bed under study is formed by a three-dimensional array of identical micro-porous spheres with simple, body-centred and face-centred cubic arrangements. Continuum mass and momentum conservation equations for an inert sweep gas are solved in the interstitial space. Volume-averaged equations for mass and momentum are solved to model the transport phenomena within the micro-porous spheres. Interface conditions are enforced between the homogenous fluid flowing in the interstitial space and the porous spheres to ensure conservation laws are satisfied. The effects of particle permeability and Reynolds number on the pressure drop per unit length of the structure are investigated. The results reported in the literature for packed beds of solid particles are repeated to validate the solution, and then compared with results of the packed bed of porous particles.