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Abstract
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Solar energy is considered one of the most prospective sources of energy to meet energy demands and increasing fuel prices and prevent the increase of Greenhouse gases. (Banks and Schäffler, 2006).
There are two types of technologies which can convert solar radiation to electrical power, the one is photo voltaic (PV) and the other one is solar thermal power plants. PV cells consist of two semi-conductor layers which release electrons when exposed to sunlight. Solar thermal power technologies, such as concentrating solar power (CSP), capture the sun’s thermal energy and convert it to electrical power by means of a heat engine coupled to a generator. A key feature of CSP technology is its ability to store energy relatively efficiently and cheaply. An air-rock bed thermal energy storage (TES) system promises to be an effective and reasonably inexpensive storage system for CSP plants. The intermittent nature of solar energy requires an energy storage system to effectively utilize this source of energy.
CSP technology shows the potential to make the world less dependent on conventional fossil fuel energy sources. However, there still remains research to be done to make the technologies economically competitive. The excellent local solar resources, together with the proposed SUNSPOT cycle, could potentially make CSP more economically feasible.
A key feature of the SUNSPOT cycle is the air-rock bed TES system, addressed in this study. A need has been identified to numerically model an air-rock bed TES system with the focus on development and optimization. Numerical methods such as DEM and CFD possesses the ability to model air-rock beds accurately. This study will investigate CFD as a numerical analysis tool for air-rock bed TES systems.
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