CFD Simulation of a Fluidized Bed as a Solar Receiver

In this study, a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was used to test the conceptual design of a continuously solar fluidized bed receiver, as a preliminary feasibility study. The transient model was established and tested with the implementation of the Eulerian Multiphase model and the Discrete Ordinates model. A User Defined Function code was used to ensure that the mass of sand entering the system was equal to that which exited. The results showed that the fluidized bed receiver model can continuously absorb and store direct incident solar energy while the sand temperature at the outlet was approximately stable.