• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.535-543
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• 2022

A CPFD (Computational particle fluid dynamics) model of solar fluidized bed receiver of silicon carbide (SiC: average d_p=123 ㎛) particles was established, and the model was verified by comparing the simulation and experimental results to analyze the effect of particle behavior on the performance of the receiver. The relationship between the heat-absorbing performance and the particles behavior in the receiver was analyzed by simulating their behavior near bed surface, which is difficult to access experimentally. The CPFD simulation results showed good agreement with the experimental values on the solids holdup and its standard deviation under experimental condition in bed and freeboard regions. The local solid holdups near the bed surface, where particles primarily absorb solar heat energy and transfer it to the inside of the bed, showed a non-uniform distribution with a relatively low value at the center related with the bubble behavior in the bed. The local solid holdup increased the axial and radial non-uniformity in the freeboard region with the gas velocity, which explains well that the increase in the RSD (Relative standard deviation) of pressure drop across the freeboard region is responsible for the loss of solar energy reflected by the entrained particles in the particle receiver. The simulation results of local gas and particle velocities with gas velocity confirmed that the local particle behavior in the fluidized bed are closely related to the bubble behavior characterized by the properties of the Geldart B particles. The temperature difference of the fluidizing gas passing through the receiver per irradiance (∆T/I_DNI) was highly correlated with the RSD of the pressure drop across the bed surface and the freeboard regions. The CPFD simulation results can be used to improve the performance of the particle receiver through local particle behavior analysis.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.239-246
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• 2021

Characteristics of hydrodynamics and heat absorption by gas in a directly-irradiated fluidized bed particle receiver (50 mm-ID X 150 mm high) of SiC particles have been determined. Solid holdups of SiC particles show almost constant values with increasing gas velocity. Fine SiC particles (SiC II; dp=52 ㎛, ρs=2992 kg/㎥) showed low values of relative standard deviation of pressure drop across bed but high solids holdups in the freeboard region compared to coarse SiC particles (SiC I; dp=123 ㎛, ρs=3015 kg/㎥). The SiC II exhibited higher values of temperature difference normalized by irradiance due to the effect of additional solar heat absorption and heat transfer to the gas by the particles entrained in the freeboard region in addition to the efficient thermal diffusion of the solar heat received at bed surface. Heat absorption rate and efficiency increased with increasing the gas velocity and fluidization number. The SiC II showed maximum heat absorption rate of 17.8 W and thermal efficiency of 14.8%, which are about 33% higher than those of SiC I within the experimental gas velocity range.