Heater Position and Alumina Effects on Octadecane Melting in Sideways Cooled Cavities

Abstract

In the present study, the enthalpy-based lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with multidistribution function model is used to investigate the melting process engendered by a thin heater placed in the horizontal median plane of the cavity. The latter is cooled from its vertical walls by maintaining their temperature constant at , lower than the constant temperature of the heater (), while the top and bottom horizontal walls are insulated. The cavity is filled with a nonmelted octadecane laden with nanoparticles uniformly distributed in the basic phase-change material. Three positions of the thin heat plate are considered: heater centrally located or shifted toward the right vertical wall (two positions). The LBM with the multirelaxation time scheme is used to solve the flow problem, whereas the finite volume method is used to solve the energy equation. The simulations are performed for the three locations of the heater, with and without nanoparticles. The obtained results show that the addition of nanoparticles has a limited effect on the melting rate and stored energy, whereas the heater location has a strong effect on the heat evacuation rate from the sides.