CFD study on local fluid-to-wall heat transfer in packed beds and field synergy analysis

Abstract

To reach the target of smaller pressure drop and better heat transfer performance, packed beds with small tube-to-particle diameter ratio (D/dp<10) have now been considered in many areas. Fluid-to-wall heat transfer coefficient is an important factor determining the performance of this type of beds. In this work, local fluid- to-wall heat transfer characteristic in packed beds was studied by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) at different Reynolds number for D/dp=1.5, 3.0 and 5.6. The results show that the fluid-to-wall heat transfer coefficient is oscillating along the bed with small tube-to-particle diameter ratio. Moreover, this phenomenon was explained by field synergy principle in detail. Two arrangement structures of particles in packed beds were recommended based on the synergy characteristic between flow and temperature fields. This study provides a new local understanding of fluid-to-wall heat transfer in packed beds with small tube-to-particle diameter ratio.