Modeling and validation of heat transfer in packed bed with internal heat generation

Several researchers have modeled the heat transfer in a packed bed, heated externally, and determined its effective thermal conductivity (keff). But till date, very few researchers have studied the heat transfer of the pebble bed, where the heat is generated inside the bed; and the effective thermal conductivity of the packed bed with internal heat generation has not yet been reported. In the present work, heat generation inside the bed has been imitated by inductively heating randomly placed steel balls with lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) pebbles. The system has been modeled and validated with experimental results. The keff of the Li2TiO3 pebble bed is determined for various process conditions. A correlation has been developed to calculate the keff based on various process parameters such as pebble diameter, air flow rate, and induction temperature. The result presented in this study will be used for the design and scale-up studies of future fusion reactors.