Thermo-Mechanical Investigations of Packed Beds for High Temperature Heat Storage: Continuum Modeling

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are central elements for various types of new power plant concepts, whereat packed beds represent a promising storage inventory option. Due to thermal expansion and shrinking of the packed bed's particles during cyclic thermal charging and discharging operation, high technical risks arise, and possibly lead to material failure. In order to accurately design the heat storage system, suitable tools for calculating induced forces and stresses are mandatory. Continuum models offer time efficient simulation results, but are in need of effective packed bed parameters. This paper introduces a methodology for applying a simplified continuum model and presents first results for an exemplarily large-scale application.