Packed-bed thermal reservoirs are an integral component in a number of electrical energy storage technologies. The present paper concentrates on packed beds where the heat transfer fluid travels along the radial co-ordinate. The governing energy equations and various mechanisms that cause exergetic losses are discussed. The radial-flow packed bed is compared to a dimensionally similar axial-flow packed bed. This approach provides a fair assessment of the underlying behaviour of the two designs. Multi-objective optimisation allows a wide range of design variables to be considered, and is employed to compare optimal radial-flow and axial-flow stores. Axial-flow stores that have been segmented into layers are also considered. The results indicate that radial-flow stores have a comparable thermodynamic performance, but that the additional volume required for by-pass flows leads to higher capital costs.

填充床储热器是许多电能存储技术中不可或缺的组成部分。本文将重点放在填充床上，在这些床上传热流体沿径向坐标传播。讨论了控制能量方程式和引起过度损耗的各种机理。将径向流填充床与尺寸相似的轴向流填充床进行了比较。这种方法提供了对两种设计的基本行为的公正评估。多目标优化允许考虑广泛的设计变量，并用于比较最佳的径向流和轴向流存储。还考虑了已被分成几层的轴流存储器。结果表明，径向流存储器具有可比的热力学性能，