Abstract
This study presents the effect on accelerating heat transfer of phase change material (PCM) when the ultrasonic vibrations were applied. Applying ultrasonic waves in a medium may cause the flow velocity of the medium to increase: an effect known as acoustic streaming. Hence, the objective of the present study was to investigate the melting process of a PCM from a heated vertical wall for the following: one without ultrasonic vibration (natural melting) and the other ultrasonic vibrations. The heat flow was measured in the absence of and in the presence of acoustic streaming. The streaming created by ultrasonic vibrations was visualized by a particle image velocimetry (PIV) and a thermal infrared camera. The experimental results revealed that acoustic streaming could accelerate the melting process as much as 2.5 times. Also, total consumed electricity was saved about 2.3 ~ 2.8 Wh , compared to the rate of natural melting. Moreover, we investigate the relationship between acoustic pressure variations and enhancement of heat transfer applying for coupled finite element-boundary element method (Coupled FE-BEM) as a numerical analysis. From the result study, as the acoustic pressure increases, the higher enhancement ratio of heat transfer is obtained. In the end, acoustic pressure variations are related to the acceleration of heat transfer by ultrasonic vibrations.
Published Version
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