Assessment of PECM as an efficient numerical analysis tool for investigating convective heat transfer phenomena during PCM melting

Abstract

• PECM as a numerical analysis tool, applied in FLUENT CFD as UDF. • The tool is used here to predict thermal hydraulic behavior of PCM melt pool. • The selected modelling approach is validated against SIGMA experiment. • The PECM simulation result is compared with FLUENT CFD as a benchmark test. • The tool is then applied for single layer PCM with different boundary conditions & heat source. • Finally, PECM is applied in two-layer PCM melt pool and compared to single layer. In the framework of this research work, the principle focus is to assess the applicability & reliability of the Phase change Effective Convectivity Model (PECM) as a numerical analysis tool to investigate natural convective heat transfer in single and two-fluid density PCM molten pools. The model is applied in ANSYS FLUENT as User Defined Function (UDF) to predict convective melt pool thermal hydraulics in a volumetrically heated PCM (Phase Change Material) melt pool. As a part of this work, PECM is tested first by a benchmark case against CFD to gain confidence in its applicability as an analysis tool. Two commercial PCMs: RT50 and C58, are introduced in a 3D semicircular vessel slice with their thermo-physical properties as input for modelling. The sidewalls made of quartz glass are used for direct visualization of convective heat transfer phenomena. It is ensured that the conditions of nearly constant density of power deposition over the entire volume of the PCM melt pool throughout the series of simulation cases. The values of characteristic numbers ranged within the following limits with different pool height corresponding modified Rayleigh number Ra=1012-1013 and for Prandtl number Pr=5-7. The selected modelling approach is validated against SIGMA experiment with respect to the angular distribution of heat flux that qualify our model to run in the proceeding calculation using PECM. Following benchmark test results of PECM compared with that of conventional enthalpy porosity method embedded in ANSYS FLUENT, PECM is applied in 1-layer and 2-layer PCM configuration to study in details of the influence of different boundary conditions, internal heat sources (QV) and heat transfer fluid (HTF) cooling condition to quantify the thermal loads. Finally, the comparison is made between two PCM configurations in terms of the quantification of the thermal load to justify PECM as an efficient numerical analysis tool for investigating convective heat transfer phenomena during PCM melting.