This paper presents the first results of an original physical model developed for dual media thermocline heat storage to investigate the influence of fluid distribution over performance. The technology, named "dual-media thermocline heat storage" or "liquidsolid regenerator heat storage" is based on a thermal oil flowing through a double particle-size porous media. The particular dual-media used in a French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) experimental device is considered in this study, composed of sand (3mm diameter) and gravel (30mm diameter). The physical model solves usual mass, momentum and heat equations (Navier-Stokes) considering multi-dimensional behaviour to take into account flow distribution influence and considering separate thermal behaviour for the fluid phase, the gravel phase and the sand phase. The originality of the model consist in the separation of gravel and sand for the thermal behaviour of the porous media. The first part of the paper is a validation step against experimental data obtained in the CEA experimental device (3m high storage, 1m diameter) that has been specifically modified to study fluid distribution by adding inlet devices to force a non-ideal flow profile,. Then the second part of the paper is dedicated to the numerical study of charges for a 2Daxisymetric cylindrical volumes representing the storage. In one case, a uniform distribution all over one end is done, on the other case a uniform distribution on an axial reduced surface of this end.
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