Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Gas-Particle Flow within a Solid-Particle Solar Receiver

Authors

Huajun Chen, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Yitung Chen, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Hsuan-Tsung Hsieh, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Nathan Siegel, Sandia National Laboratories

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-25-2006

Publication Title

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering

Volume

129

Issue

2

First page number:

160

Last page number:

170

Abstract

A detailed three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis on gas-particle flow and heat transfer inside a solid-particle solar receiver, which utilizes free-falling particles for direct absorption of concentrated solar radiation, is presented. The two-way coupled Euler-Lagrange method is implemented and includes the exchange of heat and momentum between the gas phase and solid particles. A two-band discrete ordinate method is included to investigate radiation heat transfer within the particle cloud and between the cloud and the internal surfaces of the receiver. The direct illumination energy source that results from incident solar radiation was predicted by a solar load model using a solar ray-tracing algorithm. Two kinds of solid-particle receivers, each having a different exit condition for the solid particles, are modeled to evaluate the thermal performance of the receiver. Parametric studies, where the particle size and mass flow rate are varied, are made to determine the optimal operating conditions. The results also include detailed information for the gas velocity, temperature, particle solid volume fraction, particle outlet temperature, and cavity efficiency.

Keywords

Computational fluid dynamics; Diffusion; Gas flow; Heat – Transmission; Solar energy; Solar radiation

Disciplines

Fluid Dynamics | Heat Transfer, Combustion | Mechanical Engineering | Oil, Gas, and Energy | Sustainability

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.

Repository Citation

Chen, H., Chen, Y., Hsieh, H., Siegel, N. (2006). Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Gas-Particle Flow within a Solid-Particle Solar Receiver. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 129(2), 160-170.