Implementation of coupled CFD&DEM model for heat and mass transfer analysis in adsorption fluidized reactors

• Published in: Applied thermal engineering Vol. 278; p. 127301
• Main Authors: Grabowska, Karolina, Sosnowski, Marcin, Krzywanski, Jaroslaw, Zylka, Anna, Kulakowska, Anna, Skrobek, Dorian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2025
• Subjects: Adsorption chillers; CFD&DEM coupling; Computational fluid dynamics; Fluidization; Heat and mass transfer; Fluidization; Adsorption chillers; CFD&DEM coupling; Computational fluid dynamics; Heat and mass transfer
• ISSN: 1359-4311
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.127301

•Adsorption cooling technology offers a sustainable alternative to traditional cooling systems.•CFD & DEM: A breakthrough in modeling adsorption systems.•Disc-shaped fluidized sorption reactor enhances adsorption efficiency.•Granulation impacts heat transfer in adsorption beds.•CFD & DEM approach holds potential for reactor optimization. Adsorption refrigeration and desalination systems operate by exploiting the thermal effects accompanied by the alternating adsorption and desorption processes of the refrigerant in a porous material bed. Sorption systems are an important part of the green transition, as they can be powered by renewable energy sources, including solar energy and industrial waste heat. The adsorption bed consisting of a heat exchanger covered with a granular adsorbent is the subject of analysis and experiments focused on improving the heat and mass transfer conditions, limited by the low adsorbent conductivity and adsorption bed porosity. Fluidization at low-pressure conditions is considered one of the means of heat transfer intensification in adsorption reactors. Particle shape expressed by sphericity and size distribution are important factors that could influence the thermal and physical properties of the adsorption fluidized bed. Moreover, the detailed knowledge of particle–fluid interactions at low-pressure regimes is fundamental in fluidization processes. Knowledge about these complex processes is difficult to obtain empirically, therefore experimental studies aiming to characterize the effect of adsorbent particle size distribution on heat and mass transfer in adsorption reactors were supported in this work by the implementation of the new approach to modeling the adsorption reactor, including the particle–fluid interaction at low-pressure regimes using two-way coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Modelling (DEM). The developed comprehensive model incorporating CFD&DEM techniques is validated against the experimental test of sorption cycles carried out for adsorbent granulation in the range of 100 to 500 µm. The results of the presented research indicate that the coupled CFD&DEM modeling approach is a powerful and cost-effective research tool capable of effectively analyzing complicated physical phenomena occurring in low-pressure regimes.