Transient thermal performance of high-temperature particle storage bins

The design, modeling, and integration of high-temperature particle storage bins is a critical component of Gen. 3 concentrated solar power (CSP). Particle storage bins control the temperature and flow rates throughout the particle circulatory system, so having a fundamental understanding of their transient thermal behavior is highly advantageous for the design and multi-level control of future CSP systems. This paper provides contributions to this understanding by presenting a semi-analytic method for modeling the transient thermal behavior of bulk particle bins. The model is verified with experiments and a baseline CFD model and then used to make conclusions about the dominant heat transfer modes in bulk particle bins and the general transient thermal performance of related systems.