The Lattice Boltzmann Investigation for the Melting Process of Phase Change Material in an Inclined Cavity

Abstract

The solid–liquid phase change process is of importance in the usage of phase change material (PCM). In this paper, the phase change lattice Boltzmann (LB) model has been used to investigate the solid–liquid phase change in an inclined cavity. Three heat flux distributions applied to the left wall are investigated: uniform distribution, linear distribution, and parabolic symmetry distribution. The results show that for all the heat flux distributions, the slight clockwise rotation of the cavity can accelerate the melting process. Furthermore, when more heat is transferred to the cavity through the middle part (parabolic symmetry distribution) or bottom part (linear distribution) of left wall, clockwise rotation of cavity leads to larger temperature of PCM.