Theoretical and experimental investigation of a Moving Bed Heat Exchanger for Solar Central Receiver Power Plants

Abstract

A Moving Bed Heat Exchanger for heat extraction from solar heated granular
\nmaterials is investigated with respect to flow behaviour. To overcome limitations of existing
\nempirical models, a numerical CFD model is established and parametrised with the help of
\nexperiments. Parametric studies are performed to quantify the effect of inlet velocities on the
\nvelocity field. A good agreement with an empirical model is found. Also, a comparison with
\nPIV measurements confirms its validity, making it a solid basis for future design work.