Entropy Generation Minimization for a Packed Bed Reactor in Nuclear Hydrogen Production

Abstract

The thermochemical copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle is a promising method to produce hydrogen with nuclear energy. In this paper, the fluid flow and heat transfer processes are examined for a packed bed chemical reactor in the Cu-Cl cycle. The heat transfer rate is predicted by a heat-momentum analogy for external flow over a particle, using the friction factor and Reynolds number. The Nusselt number correlation compares well against three prior methods to predict the Nusselt number in a packed bed (for various combinations of the void fraction, Reynolds and Prandtl numbers). The analysis is extended to minimize the entropy generation due to heat transfer and fluid flow irreversibilities in the packed bed reactor.