Concentrated Particle-Driven Solar Power Receiver: Experimental and Simulation Hydrodynamic and Thermal Characteristics

YIMIN DENG; ANDRÉS REYES URRUTIA; MAARTEN VANNIERSCHOT; JAN BAEYENS; GERMÁN D. MAZZA

Proceedings of 2022 4th International Conference on Environment Sciences and Renewable Energy - Selected Topics on New Developments in Environmental and Energy Technologies ? Book Series Title Environmental Science and Engineering

Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Lugar: Singapur; Año: 2023; p. 223 - 243

Concentrated solar power plants are increasingly developed, and par-ticle-driven concepts offer a high potential in the receiver and heat storage. Both the high temperature effects in solar receivers, and the use of Computa-tional Fluid Dynamics (CFD) have been largely ignored in trying to elucidate their hydrodynamic and thermal behavior. The present paper assesses solid and gas flow modes, at different operating conditions. Wall-slugs are always present in the tube, especially in its hot section. Solids back mixing between the hot and cold zones is important and alters the temperature profile along the bed height. Axial solids and gas velocity profiles demonstrate the existence of three flow modes. In the center or core of the column, occupying 50 to 60% of its diame-ter, the bubbles induce an upward movement of both phases. In most of the an-nulus area outside the core zone, both phases flow downwards in a bubble-lean zone. In a very thin zone adjacent to the wall, the mean particle and gas veloci-ties are positive (upward flow) due to the occurrence of wall-slugs.