Rock bed thermal energy storage

Professor Jaap Hoffmann of Stellenbosch University

Friday, July 19, 2024, 1:30-3:00 pm

Trottier Building – Room 2110

Abstract: Packed beds offer an inexpensive and versatile way of storing solar heat for power generation and process heat applications. In large systems, the flow through the packed bed will be three-dimensional, and conventional plug flow methods are inadequate to design and/or evaluate thermal energy storage systems (TES).

At Stellenbosch, research into 3D TES systems has been ongoing for the last decade, using a combination of CFD and experiments. In this seminar, the prediction of pressure drop and heat transfer in TES based on particle Reynolds number, particle orientation and shape parameters, and flow tortuosity is presented.

Bio: Jaap Hoffmann is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University. He did his Ph.D. on performance prediction on natural draft cooling towers under the influence of atmospheric temperature inversions.

McISCE Summer Energy Reading Group

Hosted by the McISCE Trainee Committee

The McISCE Trainee Committee is hosting an energy reading group this summer.

Through this four-part series, we will gather people from across the university, from the energy curious to the energy experts, to explore these topics together. 

The reading group is open to anyone interested and/or invested in energy research, undergraduate students, McISCE interns, trainees, members, and beyond.

Different McISCE members have been invited to join us for each session to bring their perspectives to the discussions.

We recommend you read the papers before the meeting and bring your thoughts and questions. These discussions are informal, so you are welcome to come and listen.

Two papers have been pre-selected for each reading group:

If you have a McGill email address, you can access the reading list here. 

For those without a McGill email address, you can access the Google document.

Refreshments will be provided!

If you have any questions, please email laurianne.debanne [at] mail.mcgill.ca (Laurianne Debanné).