CFD-DEM Investigation on Flow and Temperature Distribution of Ceria Particles in A Beam-Down Fluidized Bed Reactor

In this research, heat transfer and hydrodynamics of a solar thermochemical fluidized bed reactor filled with ceria particles have been studied numerically and experimentally for beam-down solar concentrating system. A CFD-DEM model has been developed, in which the contact forces between the particles have been calculated by the spring-dashpot model, based on the soft-sphere method. An experimental visualization of particles circulation pattern and mixing of two-tower fluidized bed system has been presented. Simulation results have been compared with experimental data to validate the CFD-DEM model. Results indicate that the model can predict the particle-fluid flow of the two-tower fluidized bed reactor. Using this model, the key operating parameters can be optimized.