Mixed convective heat transfer characteristics and mechanisms in structured packed beds

The structured packed bed is considered a promising reactor owing to its low pressure drop and good heat transfer performance. In the heat transfer process of thermal storage in packed beds, natural convection plays an important role. To obtain the mixed convective heat transfer characteristics and mechanisms in packed beds, numerical simulations and coupling analyses were carried out in this study on the unsteady process of fluid flow and heat transfer. A three-dimensional model of the flow channel in the packed bed was established, and the Navier–Stokes equations and Laminar model were adopted for the computations. The effects of the driving force on fluid flow around a particle were studied in detail. The differences in velocity and density distributions under different flow directions due to effect of the aiding flow or opposing flow were intuitively demonstrated and quantitatively analyzed. It was found that the driving force strengthens the fluid flow near the particle surface when aiding flow occurs and inhibits the fluid flow when opposing flow occurs. The boundary layer structure was changed by the natural convection, which in turn influences the field synergy angle. For the aiding flow, the coordination between the velocity and density fields is higher than that for the opposing flow. By analysis the effects of physical parameters on mixed convective heat transfer, it is indicated that with an increase in the fluid-solid temperature difference or the particle diameter, or a decrease in the fluid temperature, the strengthening or inhibiting effect of natural convection on the heat transfer became more significant.     

Numerical simulation of flow and heat transfer in a random packed bed

Random packed beds have more complex interior structure than structured beds and are widely used in industry and engineering.CFD simulation was carried out to investigate and analyze the local flow and heat transfer in a 120-sphere random packed bed.3D Navier-Stokes equation was solved with a finite volume formulation based on the Chimera meshing technique.Investigation was focused on low Reynolds number flow(Re=4.6-56.2),which typically occurs in packed bed reactors in bio-chemical fields.Detailed temperature field information was obtained.Inhomogeneity of flow and heat transfer due to the non-uniform distribution of void fraction was discussed and analyzed.     

Experimental Study on the Effective Particle Diameter of a Packed Bed with Non-Spherical Particles

An experimental study is conducted to determine the characteristics of frictional pressure drops of fluid flow in porous beds packed with non-spherical particles. The objective is to examine the applicability of the Ergun equation to flow resistance assessment for packed beds with non-spherical particles. The experiments are carried out on the POMECOFL facility at KTH. Hollow spheres and cylinders are used to pack the beds. Either water or air is chosen as the working fluid. The experimental data show that the Ergun equation is applicable to all the test beds if the effective particle diameter used in the equation is chosen as the equivalent diameter of the particles, which is the product of Sauter mean diameter and shape factor of the particles in each bed.     

Particle shape effect on hydrodynamics and heat transfer in spouted bed: A CFD–DEM study

Spouted bed has drawn much attention due to its good heat and mass transfer efficiency in many chemical units. Investigating the flow patterns and heat and mass transfer inside a spouted bed can help optimize the spouting process. Therefore, in this study, the effects of particle shape on the hydrodynamics and heat transfer in a spouted bed are investigated. This is done by using a validated computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) model, considering volume–equivalent spheres and oblate and prolate spheroids. The results are analysed in detail in terms of the flow pattern, microstructure, and heat transfer characteristics. The numerical results show that the prolate spheroids (Ar = 2.4) form the largest bubble from the beginning of the spouting process and rise the highest because the fluid drag forces can overcome the interlocking and particle–particle frictional forces. Compared with spherical particles, ellipsoidal spheroids have better mobility because of the stronger rotational kinetic energy resulting from the rough surfaces and nonuniform torques. In addition, the oblate spheroid system exhibits better heat transfer performance benefiting from the larger surface area, while prolate spheroids have poor heat transfer efficiency because of their orientation distribution. These findings can serve as a reference for optimizing the design and operation of complex spouted beds.     

基于有效参数法的固定床化学链燃烧数值模拟

本文基于有效参数法和变核颗粒模型,对固定床化学链燃烧进行数值模拟．计算并分析不同颗粒参数对二维固定床化学链燃烧结果的影响．在有效参数模型中,颗粒填充床被看作均匀的流体域．本文主要模拟了组分场和温度场,通过改变颗粒直径、孔隙率、内部粒子直径三组参数,取得了不同条件下二维固定床化学链燃烧床层所能达到的最高温度以及反应所用的时间．通过对不同参数模拟结果的分析,得出颗粒内部结构对反应特性的影响规律．     

Analytical simulation in heat storage systems

Packed bed heat exchangers for thermal energy storage systems are investigated by means of two phase heat transfer models. The paper is mainly aimed at deriving analytical solutions to the thermal balance equations relevant to different kinds of packed beds, taking into account the roles played by heat capacity and conduction effects. The results are shortly discussed and some graphs are shown for situations typical of various operational modes.     

Analysis of flow channeling near the wall in packed beds

The phenomenon of flow channeling in packed beds is investigated in the present analysis. A closed-form solution is obtained from the volume-averaged second-order momentum equation with the no-slip condition at the wall, using an exponential porosity distribution typical of packed beds. The predicted velocity profile shows the most important features of flow channeling: the sharp peak in the velocity near the wall, and the approach to the Darcy velocity far from the wall. The predictions are consistent with previous numerical results and with velocity measurements made downstream of a packed bed. The compact expression for the velocity given here is shown to be convenient for analyzing other packed-bed characteristics, such as the effective permeability of a finite-sized bed.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of dynamic heat transfer parameters in packed bed

Dynamic experiments in a nonadiabatic packed bed were carried out to evaluate the response to disturbances in wall temperature and inlet airflow rate and temperature. A two-dimensional, pseudo-homogeneous, axially dispersed plug-flow model was numerically solved and used to interpret the results. The model parameters were fitted in distinct stages: effective radial thermal conductivity (K _r) and wall heat transfer coefficient (h _w) were estimated from steady-state data and the characteristic packed bed time constant (τ) from transient data. A new correlation for the K _r in packed beds of cylindrical particles was proposed. It was experimentally proved that temperature measurements using radially inserted thermocouples and a ring-shaped sensor were not distorted by heat conduction across the thermocouple or by the thermal inertia effect of the temperature sensors.     

The critical radius of insulation in thermal radiation environment

Critical radius of insulation for a circular tube subjected to radiative and convective heat transfer has been studied analytically. It is assumed that condensation or evaporation takes place inside the circular tube such that the bulk fluid temperature inside the tube remains constant. As the fluid is transported from one end to the other, either an increase or decrease of heat transfer is desired depending on the application. The variation of the rate of heat transfer with respect to the variation of insulation thickness is studied. It is found that an critical insulation thickness may exist such that the heat transfer between the fluid and the radiative environment becomes a maximum. For certain special cases, explicit solutions to the critical insulation thickness are obtained.     

Numerical simulation for fin effect of a rectangular latent heat storage vessel packed with molten salt under heat release process

The present numerical study has dealt with the enhancement of latent heat Release by using plate type fins mounted on the vertical cooling surface in the rectangular vessel packed with molten salt as a latent heat storage material. It was found that the fin thickness and pitch exerted an influence on solidification heat transfer in a liquid layer of a nitric molten salt. The numerical results elucidated the flow pattern, velocity profile and heat transfer rate in the melted liquid layer.     

A critical review of dispersion in packed beds

The phenomenon of dispersion (transverse and longitudinal) in packed beds is summarized and reviewed for a great deal of information from the literature. Dispersion plays an important part, for example, in contaminant transport in ground water flows, in miscible displacement of oil and gas and in reactant and product transport in packed bed reactors. There are several variables that must be considered, in the analysis of dispersion in packed beds, like the length of the packed column, viscosity and density of the fluid, ratio of column diameter to particle diameter, ratio of column length to particle diameter, particle size distribution, particle shape, effect of fluid velocity and effect of temperature (or Schmidt number). Empirical correlations are presented for the prediction of the dispersion coefficients (D _T and D _L) over the entire range of practical values of Sc and Pe_m, and works on transverse and longitudinal dispersion of non-Newtonian fluids in packed beds are also considered.     

On the flow resistance of viscoelastic fluids through packed beds

Analytical solutions are obtained for the free surface cell model of packed beds using a third order fluid. Second order perturbed results indicate a substantial increase in resistance to the flow of a viscoelastic fluid through a packed bed. This predicted increase is in good agreement with experimental findings.     

Analyzing and modeling the dynamic thermal behaviors of direct contact condensers packed with PCM spheres

Condensers serve as important components for humidification–dehumidification (HDH) desalination plants. Based on the interpenetration continua approach with volume averaging technique, a mathematical dynamic model for analyzing the heat and mass transfer within direct contact condensers with co-current or countercurrent flow arrangement was developed. It was validated against the experimental data from a small scale HDH desalination system. Comparisons including the productivities and the temperature profiles of gas, liquid, and solid phases show good agreement with the measurements. Phase change material (PCM) melting processes have little effect on water production rate for co-current flow arrangement, but the condenser packed with PCM capsules have higher water production rates than that packed with air capsules packed under given conditions. The relative humidity profile of the bulk gas shows contrary trend with the gas temperature profile. The direct contact condenser with countercurrent flow arrangement can provide much better heat and mass transfer between gas and water and produce about 16.3% more fresh water than the same condenser with co-current flow arrangement in 4 h under given conditions.     

Modeling fluid and heat transport in the reactive, porous bed of downdraft (biomass) gasifier

A fluid flow and heat transfer model has been developed for the reactive, porous bed of the biomass gasifier to simulate pressure drop, temperature profile in the bed and flow rates. The conservation equations, momentum equation and energy equation are used to describe fluid and heat transport in porous gasifier bed. The model accounted for drag at wall, and the effect of radial as well as axial variation in bed porosity to predict pressure drop in bed. Heat transfer has been modeled using effective thermal conductivity approach. Model predictions are validated against the experiments, while effective thermal conductivity values are tested qualitatively using models available in literature. Parametric analysis has been carried out to investigate the effect of various parameters on bed temperature profile and pressure drop through the gasifier. The temperature profile is found to be very sensitive to gas flow rate, and heat generation in oxidation zone, while high bed temperature, gas flow rate and the reduction in feedstock particle size are found to cause a marked increase in pressure drop through the gasifier. The temperatures of the down stream zones are more sensitive to any change in heat generation in the bed as compared to upstream zone. Author recommends that the size of preheating zone may be extended up to pyrolysis zone in order to enhance preheating of input air, while thermal insulation should not be less than 15 cm.     

Blasius flow and heat transfer of fourth-grade fluid with slip

This investigation deals with the effects of slip, magnetic field, and non- Newtonian flow parameters on the flow and heat transfer of an incompressible, electrically conducting fourth-grade fluid past an infinite porous plate. The heat transfer analysis is carried out for two heating processes. The system of highly non-linear differential equations is solved by the shooting method with the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method for moderate values of the parameters. The effective Broyden technique is adopted in order to improve the initial guesses and to satisfy the boundary conditions at infinity. An exceptional cross-over is obtained in the velocity profile in the presence of slip. The fourth-grade fluid parameter is found to increase the momentum boundary layer thickness, whereas the slip parameter substantially decreases it. Similarly, the non-Newtonian fluid parameters and the slip have opposite effects on the thermal boundary layer thickness.     

Influence of temperature dependent conductivity of a nanofluid in a vertical rectangular duct

Natural convective heat transfer and fluid flow in a vertical rectangular duct filled with a nanofluid is studied numerically assuming the thermal conductivity to be dependent on the fluid temperature. The transport equations for mass, momentum and energy formulated in dimensionless form are solved numerically using finite difference method. Particular efforts have been focused on the effects of the thermal conductivity variation parameter, Grashof number, Brinkman number, nanoparticles volume fraction, aspect ratio and type of nanoparticles on the fluid flow and heat transfer inside the cavity. It is found that the flow was enhanced for the increase in Grashof number, Brinkman number and aspect ratio for any values of conductivity variation parameter and for regular fluid and nanofluid. The heat transfer rate for regular fluid is less than that for the nanofluid for all governing parameters.     

An analytical solution to non-axisymmetric heat transfer with viscous dissipation for non-Newtonian fluids in laminar forced flow

Forced convection heat transfer in a non-Newtonian fluid flow inside a pipe whose external surface is subjected to non-axisymmetric heat loads is investigated analytically. Fully developed laminar velocity distributions obtained by a power-law fluid rheology model are used, and viscous dissipation is taken into account. The effect of axial heat conduction is considered negligible. The physical properties are assumed to be constant. We consider that the smooth change in the velocity distribution inside the pipe is piecewise constant. The theoretical analysis of the heat transfer is performed by using an integral transform technique – Vodicka’s method. An important feature of this approach is that it permits an arbitrary distribution of the surrounding medium temperature and an arbitrary velocity distribution of the fluid. This technique is verified by a comparison with the existing results. The effects of the Brinkman number and rheological properties on the distribution of the local Nusselt number are shown.     

Transient free convection flow of a viscoelastic fluid over vertical surface

In this paper, the viscoelsatic boundary layer flow and the heat transfer near a vertical isothermal impermeable surface and in a quiescent fluid are examined. The gov-erning equations are formulated and solved numerically using MackCormak’s technique. The results show excellent agreement with previously published results by a compari-sion. Representative results for the velocity and temperature profiles, boundary layer thicknesses, Nusselt numbers, and local skin friction coefficients are shown graphically for different values of viscoelsatic parameters. In general, it is found that the velocities increase inside the hydrodynamic boundary layers and the temperatures decrease inside the thermal boundary layers for the viscoelsatic fluid as compared with the Newtonian fluid due to favorable tensile stresses. Consequently, the coefficients of friction and heat transfer enhance for higher viscoelsatic parameters.     

Prediction of transient heat transfer coefficients in thick-walled pressure components of cylindrical geometry

This paper presents a procedure for determining the transient heat transfer coefficient in cylindrical, thick-walled pressure parts. From theoretical considerations, the temperatures can be predicted at discrete locations throughout the wall, when input data such as thermocouple responses are known at one or several interior locations.Special emphasis is placed on the dynamic response of the thermometer, which measures the temperature of the inside fluid, to enable exact determination of both heat transfer coefficient and fluid temperature. The transient response of a thermocouple in a convectional thermowell (pocket) is described by the first-order convective heat transfer model in which the rate of thermoelement temperature change is proportional to the instantaneous difference between the thermoelement and fluid temperatures.