Experimental Investigation on the Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Fluidized Bed Particle Solar Receiver with Gas-Solid Countercurrent Flow Pattern

To design a particle solar receiver (PSR), a vital energy conversion system, is still a bottleneck for researchers. This study presents a novel PSR based on countercurrent fluidized bed (CCFB) technology, named CCFB receiver. In this design, downward-moving particles are subjected to the action of an up-flow gas to reduce the falling speed and enhance the radial disturbance, and hence increase the residence time of particles and improve the heat transfer. A cold-mold visual experimental setup is established. The influence factors are investigated experimentally, including the superficial gas velocity, solid flux, aeration gas, particle size and transport tube diameter. The results indicate that the maximum solid holdup can exceed 9% or so with fine particles of diameter d(p) = 113.5 mu m and a tube diameter of 40 mm. It is proved that the CCFB can operate stably and adjust the solid flux rapidly. The results of this study provide a new structure for PSRs in the concentrated solar power field and could fill the research insufficiency in the gas-solid counterflow field.