Experimental and analytical phase change heat transfer

Abstract

An experimental and analytical study was performed to evaluate and correlate the heat transfer results during melting and solidification of a phase change medium. The experimental work included determination of the thermal conductivities for the solid as well as the liquid phases of a phase change fluoride salt. A two-dimensional, transient, axisymmetric analytical model was developed to study the phase change heat transfer process in an energy storage system. The results of previously conducted experimental tests on the system were compared and correlated with the numerical results. Agreement was very good in most cases.