Studies on the melting dynamics of PCM in a semicircular cavity with straight and wavy heating surfaces

Abstract

Several kinds of curved confinements for phase changing material storages are found application in natural systems, latent heat storages, metal furnaces, and thermal control devices. Semi-circular enclosures have an inherent advantage of decreasing unmelt volume on top with an increase in melt height when heated from bottom. Hence the melt dynamics differs from conventional rectangular enclosures of similar orientation and realizes faster thermal response during the entire regimes of melting. Experimental and numerical studies on Rayleigh Benard convection in a semi-circular enclosure having straight, corrugated, and wavy bottom surface with constant heat flux conditions are presented. Melt front evolution, thermal convection, and unsteady surface heat transfer characteristics of a phase changing material contained in a semicircular confinement are presented in this study. Enthalpy-porosity method based finite volume solver is used to simulate the unsteady thermal convection of PCM in semi-circular enclosure. Experimental thermal response at various locations inside the confinement and shadowgraph images are used to verify the numerical results quantitatively and qualitatively. Present results and correlations (103 < Ra < 109) are useful in design, analysis, and thermal characterization of PCM enclosures of minimum volume and better thermal response finding application in electronic cooling devices and latent energy storages.