Adrien Toutant

Current research activities

My current research activities mainly concern 3 concentrated solar technologies: My research ranges from the study of small-scale physical mechanisms to the design of innovative solar receivers.

Direct Steam Generation

The following figure illustrates the multiscale approach for the direct steam generation.

Gas/particles

The following figure illustrates the multiscale approach for the gas/particles.
Simulation of a fluidized bed for the development of high-temperature solar power plants. The concept was studied at the Thémis solar power plant as part of the European NextCSP project coordinated by the PROMES-CNRS laboratory (UPR 8521). The detailed numerical simulations performed with TrioCFD software should provide a better understanding and prediction of the exchanges between fluidized particles and the receiver walls exposed to concentrated solar radiation.

Pressurized gas

The following figure illustrates the multiscale approach for the pressurized gas.


Convergence study on a very non-isothermal turbulent channel flow with imposed temperature at the wall (Re=5860, Reτ=395). Simulations realized with the TrioCFD software and the CINES computational resources. See the movie.

LES
16 processors
64x65x32
Δx+=40, Δz+=40, Δy+wall=1, Δy+centre=25
Δt= 2,3 . 10-5 s

Under-resolved DNS
50 processors
129x133x65
Δx+=20, Δz+=20, Δy+wall=0.5, Δy+centre=12
Δt= 6 . 10-6 s

Quasi-DNS
256 processors
257x265x129
Δx+=10, Δz+=10, Δy+wall=0.5, Δy+centre=6
Δt= 4,5 . 10-6 s


Accreditation to supervise research

The 25th of November 2013, I realized the defense of HDR (habilitation à diriger des recherches), accreditation to supervise research (French degree which accredits to supervise alone PhD students). I have the qualification for University Professor. My HDR is entitled "Anisothermal, two-phase and turbulent flow within solar processes". For more details, you can download the whole manuscript only "en français" and the slideshow of the defense.

Contact

Last Modified: July, 2025