Solar Energy Vol. 21, pp. 123-128 0038..092xl7810801-0123l$02.

0010
P~on Press Ltd., 1978. Print~l in Great Britain

TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF PACKED-BED THERMAL

STORAGE SYSTEMS1"

M. RIAZ
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
(Received 30 June 1977; in revised form 26 January 1978; received 14 March 1978)

Abaraa--A one-dimensionalsingle-phaseconductivitymodel of packed beds in which air and rock are at the same
temperature is used to develop closed-form analytical solutions for the transient responses produced by time-
varying air inlet temperatures. In particular, the single-blowor step response of this simple conductivity model is
compared with the classical Schumann two-phase model which ignores axial conductivity. The close agreement
exhibited at sufficiently large time justifies the development of approximate equivalent models that combine the
effects of air rock heat transfer and axial conductivity.

INTRODUCTION aT, 02T~

pbCb = ho(To - T~)+ k~
The heat transfer to and from a flowing fluid to a packed OT T:- (solid) (lb)
bed (a porous solid) has been the subject of many
theoretical and experimental investigations since Schu- • subject to appropriate boundary conditions. To simplify
mann's original work[l]. This interest stems from the notation, the void fraction or porosity is considered to be
many industrial processes which utilize fluid flow in already included in the p and k parameters.
porous materials for such widely different applications as Underlying the describing equations are the following
thermal regenerators and absorbers, catalytic reactors, assumptions:
blast furnaces, nuclear reactors, and thermal storage
units, to cite only a few. In particular, interest has • the fluid is in plug flow
focussed recently on the utilization of air-rock or gravel • the physical parameters are considered to be
packed beds (rock pile) for the thermal storage of energy constant
derived from process or waste heat systems or from • thermal gradient within solid particles is neglected
solar collector systems[2]. This paper which concerns • radiation effects are negligible
more specifically this latter type of applications presents • radial heat transfer does not occur
a simple model for the packed bed which accounts for • losses to the environment are ignored
the fluid convective motion, the air-rock heat transfer, • internal heat generation is absent
axial bed conduction, and internal particle conduction.
Based on a single-phase conductivity model of packed' Even though the equations are linear and time in-
beds, analytical solutions are given in simple closed variant, they cannot be solved exactly in simple analy-
forms for a variety of inlet temperature conditions. The tical forms so that digital computer solutions are usually
significance of the developed analytical results is that sought. In the case of an air-rock packed bed, it is
they provide a simple picture of the underlying physical justified to ignore the thermal capacity and the axial
processes occurring in a packed bed as well as a means conduction terms in the gas phase equation (la). If, in
of validating more complex computer solutions. The addition, the axial conduction in the bed material is also
analytical solutions are well suited to predict the long- neglected (an assumption reasonably well warranted at
term dynamic performance of packed beds and to devise large Reynold numbers), the Schumann model of a
design procedures for the utilization of air-rock packed packed bed results as described by the simplified equa-
beds in thermal energy storage systems. tions

MODELS OF PACKED BEDS OTo

poCoVo - - ~ = h~(Tb - To) (2a)
Two-phase models
In the one-dimensional two-phase model of a packed
bed, an energy balance is performed on each of the fluid p,,c~ - ~ T = ho(To - T~) (2b)
and solid phases, yielding a coupled set of partial
differential equations: With the introduction of

/OTo aTo'~=h~(T~_T°)+koa~To
poco~..~-+ Vo O~ ] - ~ (fluid) (la) x m = ~x = VopoC°and try2_ ~"
~-- pbCb (3)
ho ho

tPresented at the ISES annual meeting,Orlando, Florida,7 June, as characteristic distance and time respectively, the
1977. equations can be rewritten in terms of the dimensionless
123
 124 M. RIAZ

space time variables x and t as and

aT,, = To - To = - aTo (4) OT T ~ . - T

- Ox =
at x = O ; 0 1 " = 0
ax at x = o o . (10)
ax at"

Using infinite series and Bessel functions, Schumann[l]
originally solved these equations for the single-blow case
(step change of inlet gas temperature) of a semi-infinite
packed bed initially at a uniform temperature. Other
analytical solutions[3--6] have been obtained for
single blow and other inlet conditions. Plots of the step
response of a packed bed are given in the original
Schumann paper and, for an extended range of variables
x and t, by Furnas[7] and in a different form by
Vermeulen et al. [8].
Single-phase conductivity model
A single-phase conductivity model can be derived
formally from the two-phase equations by letting the
volumetric heat transfer coefficient h, tend to infinity. In
this limit, the fluid and solid temperatures coalesce to the
same value T and eqns (1) reduce to the single equation:
Simple closed-form solutions of these equations will be
presented in a later section for a variety of time-varying
inlet temperatures. In particular the step or single-blow
response will be given as plots in Figs. 2 and 3. By
comparing this step response of the single-phase model
with that of the Schumann model[l,7,8], it can be
observed that the results of both models almost coincide
for sufficiently large values of dimensionless time (t > 10);
for small t, the agreement is within ten per cent but
only for the rock temperature and clearly not for the air
temperature which, in the single-phase model, must
equal the rock temperature. This similarity in the step
response of single- and two-phase models of the packed
bed suggests that the combined effects of axial conduc-
tivity and air-rock heat transfer can be incorporated into
either model in the form of equivalent though ap-
proximate models [9].

(poCo +pbCb)aT + OT . . . . a2T (5)

EQUIVALENTMODELS
The equivalence of single- and two-phase models has
been established by various authors[7-13] by comparing
If additionally p~Co~p~c~ and k, ~kb (as is the case of the mathematical solutions or by directly transforming
an air-gravel system), then eqn (5) can further be the differential equations for the two models. The results
simplified to can be written directly by defining the characteristic
aT aT 02T parameters of a combined heat-transfer, conductivity
+ v -~- = a - ~ (6) model of a packed bed as the sum of the individual
characteristic quantities so that using eqns (3) and (8)
in which v = V~OoCdpbCo and a =kb/p~Co, the axial
diffusivity of the bed. When the conduction term is zero kb
XN = ----XN2+XNI = 4 VaDaCa
(a = 0), the equation reduces to the purely convective
motion of a thermal wave traveling at the reduced velo-
city v. In addition to eqn (6), boundary conditions = VapaCa = keq
(11)
expressing the energy balance at the entrance and exit of heq VapoCo
the bed must be imposed. Known as Danckwerts' boun-
dary conditions, they are in the case of the semi-infinite and
bed
tN=~
T = tN 2 + tN I = - Tpbcb
~"
+ kbpbCb
aT n, ~VopoCa)
--kb " ~ ' = Yap°ca(Tin- T) at x = 0 (7)
og

and = pbCb = k=~bCb

h=q (vopoCo) 2" (12)
aT
--=0
a~ at x=oo.
These relations indicate that the effect of conductivity of
Introducing the bed can be included in the Schumann model (this is
especially relevant at low Reynolds numbers) by intro-
xN, = ~: = a__ = kb ducing a modified heat transfer coefficient given by
X V VapaCa
kb
a kbpbCb (8) ~I = E1+ ~ (13)
t~,=7=~=~
Similarly, in the singie-phase model, the effect of air-rock
as the characteristic distance and time, eqns (6) and (7) in heat transfer can be accounted for by introducing an
dimensionless x and t variables become effective thermal conductivity defined by

OT OT a2T k,q = kb + (v~°;: °)2. (14)

~-+~- = ~ (9)
 Transient analysis of packed-bed thermal storage systems 125

To account for temperature gradients within the rock The significance of this solution will be examined in the
particles, the value of h, may be reduced by a factor next section.
which incorporates the Blot number such as 1 + Bi/5
proposed by Jeffreson [11]. Ramp response
It is of interest to point out that the ratio In a similar manner, the response of the system to a
unit ramp r(t)= tu(t) can be derived from
XN ~]X v~P°C° =v (15)
o,(t, x) = fo'ou(t, x)dt= L - ' x)
is independent of both heat transfer coefficient and bed
conductivity. with the result

SYSTEMRESPONSEOF THESINGLE-PltASEEQUIVALENTMODEL 1 X-t

The dynamic behavior of the single-phase model of the
packed-bed system governed mathematically by eqns (9) X2 t 2\ [x+t~
and (10) is analyzed by developing analytical solutions - ~ ( - 1 + t +xt + T + ~ ' ) e~ erfc ~2---~]
for these equations. The one restriction imposed on the
linear packed-bed system is that it be initially relaxed, +~(2+x+t) ~/(t) e-''-'~2/4''
. (19)
i.e. the bed is assumed to be at a uniform temperature 7",
at t = 0. No loss of generality follows from taking this
reference temperature to be, for convenience, zero. At Arbitrary inlet temperature
time t = 0, a given time varying function for the air inlet Because the packed bed constitutes a linear system, its
temperature Tin(t) (measured with reference to 7',) is response to a prescribed time-varying inlet air tempera-
prescribed as the input of the packed-bed system at ture Ti. = f(t) (at x = 0) may be obtained by applying the
x = 0. The response T(x, t) of the system will now be convolution process to the previous elementary respon-
given explicitly for five input conditions. ses so that

Impulse response
As developed in the Appendixl the impulse response is T(t,x) = f~ f(¢)Oa(t- ¢, x) d~" (20a)
derived by obtaining the inverse Laplace transform o f
the packed-bed system function, namely: = ToOu(t,x)+
fo' O.(t .r,x)dr (20b)

H(s, x) = 1"(s,x)= 1 e x{('/2)-v('+'/4)) (16) These relations may readily be implemented on a digital
Ti.(s) ~+%/(s+ 1/4) computer (eqn (20b) is often referred to as Duhamel's
integral).
with the result In many cases, the excitation function may be ap-
proximated over a finite time interval by a piecewise
1 --[(x--t)214l]
Os(t,x) = L-'H(s,x) = ~ - ~ j e linear function that is composed of a finite number of
steps (having different amplitudes), and a finite number
1 ,, (x+t of ramps (of different slopes). For such a piecewise
- ~ e erfc (17)
\2x/(t)/ linear approximation of the input, the system response
in which erfc denotes the complementary error function. can be explicitly written for t.-~<-t<t, as the
These two expressions which provide a simple charac- combination of
terization of the packed-bed system in the frequency and n--I
time domains respectively can then be used to determine T.(t,x)= ToO.(t,x)+ ~ (Tj+,- TDO.(t-6,x) (21)
I=O
the response of the system to various types of inputs.

Step response establishing the response to step functions of amplitude

Thus the response to a unit step input u(t) can be Tj at the breakpoint 6, and of
obtained by performing either of two operations as in- n--!
dicated by Tr(t,x)= ~ (Mj÷,-MDO.(t-tj, x) (22)
i=O
O,(t,x)=
/0'Oa(t,x)dt= L -'H(s'x)
S giving the response of linear segments of slope Mr =
(Ti - T~-,)/(6 - tj-,) at the breakpoint tj.
so that
1 x-t
Sinusoidal steady-state response
Consider a sinusoidal input excitation of the form Tin =
Ix+t\ Tocostot=Re[Toe ~''] where to is a dimensionless
I
- [ ( 1 +x + t)e x eric
.
I~}" (18) frequency; with a characteristic frequency 1/tt~ = v2/a,
126 M. RL~.

the actual frequency is then fl = o~v'/a. The sinusoidal 150° I]5 ° I~)°105'90° 750 60' 450 30'
steady-state response of the packed bed is given by
165°
T(t, x) Re[ToH(jto, x) e j ' ]
= (23) -~a0' /.,

in which the transfer function, by virtue of eqn (16)

-15'
2 -150'
H (jto, x) - _ l(x/2) (I--~/(l+j,k,o)]
-- 1 + 'V'(1 + j4(o) ~; (24)

-135°
a polar plot of which is shown in Fig. 1.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STEP RESPONSE

The response of a packed bed to a sudden change in -120' -I05° -90° -75° -600 -45'

inlet temperature affords a convenient experimental Fig. 1.

procedure for determining the parameters and for
assessing the dynamic performance of the system. The
step (single-blow) response is thus of particular
significance because it constitutes a theoretical basis for
the analysis and design of packed-bed systems. For such
design purposes, it is desirable to present the single-blow
response of a packed bed in the form of plots of eqn (18)
as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The dimensionless
temperature indicated is the generalized temperature 0 =
(T - T,)/(To- T,) where T, is the initial bed temperature
and To is the step inlet temperature. These plots which
give the space-time distribution of temperature in the bed
O(t, x) clearly portray the motion of a dispersing thermal

0.9 "~

~. o.a ~
\ \
D:
~ 0.7
\ \ \ \
~o,,\\\ \ \ \ \ \
,o..t\\' \ ~,~ "Xx I X
\ %
;
o I\\\\ ~,
o.~
\
\
,,',o.~ \ \ \

~ L
0 ~ ~ ~ -
o 2 4 s e ,o 12 o4 is is 2o 22 24 25
DIMENSIONLESS DISTANCE x
Fig. 2.

1.0

W
n- 0.9
f - 0.8
i~/ ,'5//, / /"/ , / / / / /
n,.
to 0.?
o.
w 0.6
/ // // /// /
I-
0.5 ///r I / I ~ / 1 . . / I I 7
(n
0.4 III, I t 1 1 1 / / ~ /
z_o
..J
0.3
I/H / l l l / / / / / / /
(n
z 0.2
Itll I I i i j
t~J ' /] / l /
i 0.1

0 0 I0 10 30 4O 5O I10 70 80 90 IOO
DIMENSIONLESS TIME t
Fig. 3.
 Transient analysis of packed-bed thermal storage systems 127

wave. Viewed as a function of distance, the curves of preliminary design purposes and for estimating the
Fig. 2 represent so-called thermoclines that define the dynamic performance of packed-bed storage systems. (4)
demarcation between hot and cold zones in the bed at From a mathematical modeling standpoint, the present
various times. Clearly, the sharpness of the thermocline transient analysis is limited to the case of a linear semi-
wavefront decreases with time. The same behavior is infinite initially relaxed packed-bed system. The more
observed in Fig. 3 where temperature is plotted as a complicated situation in which the packed bed is not only
function of time with distance the parameter. Further- of finite length but has an arbitrary initial temperature
more, in Fig. 3 the time rate of change or slope of a distribution should be further investigated analytically.
curve at a specific distance x establishes the impulse
response at that x, while the area under the curve gives NOMENCLATURE
the corresponding ramp response. c specific heat, J/kg°C
For x and t larger than 10, the last 2 terms in the step h~ volumetric heat transfer coefficient, W/m3°C
k thermal conductivity, W/m°C
response of eqn (18) can be ignored compared to the s dimensionless Laplace operator
first; in this case t dimensionless time
x dimensionless distance
1/\x-t H(s,x) system function for packed bed
O(t,x)-~:_ erfc l-.-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_~.I=. for t,x > 10. T temperature response,°C
2 \2V(t)]
T~, air temperature at entrance of bed, °C
7', reference bed temperature, °C
As a function of distance, this expression can be simply u(t) unit step function
visualized as constituting one half a complementary error vo velocity of air flow, m/s
function which moves at unity dimensionless velocity (or v velocity of thermal wavefront, m/s
a diffusivity, m2/s
v actual) and which spreads out with increasing time. 0 generalized temperature
The sharpness of the thermocline wavefront may be 0s unit impulse response
expressed mathematically as 0, unit step response
0, unit ramp response
00 112 p density, kg/m"
__=(t~ e_tO+_o2/+,+ l ( 2 + x + t ) C distance, m
¢ time, s
. /x+t~ lI frequency, rad/s
e.c " (25) to dimensionless frequency

Of special interest are the values of 0 and (O0/Ox) at x = t
for large x since, in this case, the following ap-
proximations hold
1 1 00 1 Energy Research and Development Administration under
0---:-..---~r:---:.. and -----
2 2xV(crx) 0x- 2-V(irx)
providing simple measures of the thermocline location
and sharpness.
CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions may be drawn from the
results of this transient analysis of packed bed storage
thermal systems: (I) The equivalence between the two-
phase Schumann model and the single-phase conduc-
tivity model allows the representation of linear packed
beds to be performed in terms of a simple but modified
single-phase model that uses an effective conductivity
(dilfusivity) accounting for various axial dispersion
mechanisms and for the convective motion of the ther-
mal wave. (2) The differential equations governing the
single-phase model of the semi-infinite initially relaxed
one-dimensional packed bed system are solved in simple
closed forms, yielding the temperature response of the
bed to a variety of inlet air temperature conditions:
impulse, step, ramp, arbitrary time-dependent function,
piecewise linear input, sinusoidal steady-state excitation.
(3) The characteristics of the step response are presented
in the form of generalized plots portraying the time-
space profile of the thermal waves. These curves
representing so-called thermoclines may be used for
Subscripts
a air (fluid)
b bed (porous or packed solid)
Acknowledgements--This research was supported by the U.S.
Contract No. EY-76-S-02--4009. The author is especially in-
debted to Dr. P. L. Blackshear for many helpful discussions.
~CES
!. T. E. W. Schumann, Heat transfer: liquid flowing through a
porous prism. J. Franklin Inst. 208, 405-416 (1929).
2. D. J. Close, Rock pile thermal storage for comfort air condi-
tioning. Mech. and Ch. Engng Trans. Inst. Engrs. Australia,
MCI, p. 11-22 (May 1965).
3. W. J. Jang and C. P. Lee, Dynamic response of solar heat
storage systems. ASME Paper No. 74--WA/HT-22(1974).
4. F. T. Hung and R. G. Nevins, Unsteady-state heat transfer
with a flowing fluid through porous solids. ASME Paper No.
65-HT-10 (1965).
5. V. S. Arpaci and J. A. Clark, Dynamic response of fluid and
wall temperatures during pressurized discharge for simub
taneous time-dependent inlet gas temperature, ambient
temperature, and/or ambient heat flux. Adv. Cryogen. Engng
7, 419-432. Plenum Press (1962).
6. D. M. Burch, R. W. Allen and B. A. Peary, Transient
temperature distributions within porous slabs subjected to
sudden transpiration heating. ASME Trans. J. Heat Trans.
221-225 (1976).
7. C. C. Furnas, Heat transfer from a gas stream to a bed of
broken solids. Trans. A. Inst. Chem. E. 24, 142-169 (1929).
8. T. G. Vermeulen, G. Klein and N. K. Hiester, Chemical
Engineers' Handbook, Section 16 (Edited by J. H. Perry),
McGraw-Hill, New York (1973).
9. M. Riaz, Analytical solutions for single- and two-phase'
models of packed-bed thermal storage systems. 3. Heat
Trans., ASME Trans. 99, 489-492 (1977).
128 M. RIAZ

10. P. J. Hughes, S. A. Klein and D. J. Close, Packed bed 1 e [(xl2)-x ~,/(s+ 114)].
thermal storage models for solar air heating and cooling
systems. ASME Trans. J. Heat Trans. 336-337 (1976).
H(x,s) -- Tin = ~ + ~/(s + 114)
!1. C. P. Jeffreson, Prediction of breakthrough curves in packed
beds. A.I.Ch.E.J., 18, 44)9-416 (1972). The impulse response is then derived as follows
12. D. Vortmeyer and R. J. Schaeffer, Equivalence of one- and
two-phase models for heat transfer processes in packed Oa(t, x) ffi L-I(H, s) = e~e-#4L -I e-XVs
beds: one dimensional theory. Chem. Engng. Sci., 29, 483-
491 (1974). V(s)+~
13. D. W. Green, R. H. Perry and R. E. Babcock, Longitudinal
dispersion of thermal energy through porous media with a
flowing fluid. A.I.Ch.E.Y., lfl, 645-651 (1964). -e(=l~)-(tl")[~7~t)e-(X~li')-~e"12)+"12)
" effc ~2---~
{ +%/(0']...2__]
J

AERgNIIqX
System function and impulse response of a packed bed
By taking the Laplace transform of eqn (9) subject to zero
initial condition, the following second-order differential equation
in x is obtained
which reduces to eqn (17) and where, in the first step, use is
made of the s-shifting property of Laplace transforms, and, in
the second, reference is made to standard tables of transform
pairs.
For completeness, the dimensionless equations (18), (19), and
(24) are here rewritten in terms of the actual physical variables as

d2Tdx
2 ~-~ - s f = 0
for the impulse response,
A solution satisfying the boundary condition at infinity is 1 ~ ~ I' if2
=_erfc / - ~+v[ ~ e-t(e-~,~l~J

To determine the constant A, the inlet boundary condition (10) is (27)

used after taking its Laplace transform
for the step response, and
d T = f _ f, T,.
dx m so that A
~ + ~/(s + 1/4) (28)

Hence, the system function describing the packed bed can be

written as for the frequency response.

Resumen--Un modelo de conductividad unidimensional, monof~sico, de lechos estr6-chamente empacados, en los

cuales aire y roca est~n a ia misma temperatura, es usado para desarrollar soluciones analfticas a las respuestas
transitorias del sistema producidas por los cambios variables de temperatura del aire entrante. En particular, la
respuesta a una entrada tipo escal6n, de este simple modelo de conductividad, es comparada con el cl~sico modelo
bif~sico de Schumann que ignora conductividad axial. La cercana correspoodencia, bajo tiempos suficientemente
largos, justifica el desarrollo de modelos approximadamente equivalentes clue combinan los efectos de la
transferencia de calor entre aire y roca, adem~s de los de conductividad axial.

I H s u m ~ L e module present(: pour les syst~mes de stockage thermique a lit de roche est un module ~ une
dimension e t a conductivit~ o~ rair et la roche sont a la meme temperature. II permet de d6river une solution
analyfique au probl~me du comportement transitoire sous reffet d'entr6e d'air a temperature variable. En
particulier, la comparaison de la r~ponse indicielle de ce simple module a base de conductivit~ et du mod/~le
classique ~t deux phases de Schumann--qui ne consid~re pas la conductivit6 axiale--montre des r6sultats
concordants pour des temps d'observation suflisamment longs et justifie le d~veloppement de modiHes ~quivalents
approch~s qui combinent les effets du transfert de chaleur entre roche et air et de la conductivit~ axiale.