Solid-Fluid Response of Packed-Bed Regenerators by Crump’s Numerical Inversion of Laplace Transforms

Abstract

The temperature histories in the fluid and the solid phases of a fixed-matrix (packed-bed) thermal storage unit in the regenerative mode of operation, with complete reversals of the flow direction, are traced. The heat conduction and energy storage are considered in the solid, but neglected in the fluid. The problem is solved numerically by the technique of Laplace transforms, with the inversion effected by a fast and robust scheme due to Crump [19]. Sample results are plotted and discussed in physical terms.