UNSTEADY-STATE HEAT TRANSFER WITH A FLOWING FLUID THROUGH A PACKED BED OF HOMOGENEOUS SPHERES

Abstract

Unsteady-state heat transfer through a packed bed of homogeneous spheres has been investigated both analytically and experimentally. A differential equation was formulated which describes the process of heat transfer in the packed .bed. The solution of this equation, for a step input of temperature was used to pre-dict the temperature history in a packed bed of spheres. In a test section made out of perspex, matrices with three different materials were prepared and their temperature histories, heat transfer coefficient and the, thermal storage and release characteristics were studied. With values of V d Cg/Ks upto 50 it is found that the thermal conductivity of the material does not play an important role..