A 50 kW Fluidized Bed High Temperature Solar Receiver: Heat Transfer Analysis

A theoretical and experimental investigation of a pilot scale solar fluidized bed receiver is presented. Large diameter alumina particles were used. Experimental data with the bed in the temperature range of 550° C to 915° C (wall 740° C–1035° C) are compared with a simple model based on one parameter: the mean front wall temperature. At 950° C, the predicted efficiency is 73 percent and the measured efficiency is about 65 percent. In addition, unsteady behavior of the receiver is described by a simple heat transfer model.