3D CFD simulation and experimental validation of particle-to-fluid heat transfer in a randomly packed bed of cylindrical particles

The heat transfer characteristics of solid cylinders in a bed with tube-to-particle diameter ratio equal to 2, by the presence of contact points between the cylinders were investigated numerically. Three-dimensional CFD simulation of air flow through two different arrangements of particles in this randomly packed bed have been carried out by the standard K-c turbulence model with the use of FEMLAB (Multiphysics in MATLAB) software version 2.3. The simulation results were validated by naphthalene sublimation mass transfer experiments. From mass and heat transfer analogy, the Nusselt numbers for each cylindrical particle in bed were found from the corresponding Sherwood numbers. It is shown that the CFD simulation results can predict the heat transfer characteristics, with an acceptable average error compared to experimental values. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.