Momentum and heat transfer by forced convection in fixed beds of granular active carbon

Heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of packed beds with active carbon 208C for low Reynolds numbers have been investigated using inert gases. It is intended that this granular material can be heated by forced collection of an adsorbant gas as part of a heat pump. This cycle will rely on the production of a thermal wave to give a high COP and thus requires good values of NTU or reduced length. These preliminary results suggest that NTU values of 100 may be easily obtained in this way. Heat transfer coefficients are related to the pressure-drop characteristic by a modified version of the Reynolds-Colburn analogy.