A theoretical analysis of heat transfer due to particle impact

Abstract The heat exchange between impacting spherical particles or a particle and a surface is analyzed. The purpose of the study is to obtain a quantitative understanding of the direct conductive contribution of heat transfer between particles and surfaces in suspension flows and fluidized beds. The mechanism under investigation is the conduction through the time varying contact area during impact. It is shown that the impact Fourier number based on the maximum contact area radius and the contact duration is inversely proportional to the particle Peclet number and independent of mechanical properties. For small Fourier numbers, an analytical solution is presented. For large Fourier numbers, the solution is obtained numerically and presented in terms of a correction factor which is used with the analytical results.