Thermal Analysis of Melting Occurring Inside a Finned Rectangular Enclosure Equipped with Discrete Pulsed Protruding Heat Sources

Abstract

This paper numerically investigates the effect of the location of a horizontal fin on the melting of a phase change material (PCM) inside a rectangular enclosure heated by multiple discrete pulsed protruding heat sources. The fin and the phase change material filling the enclosure store the thermal energy extracted from the heat sources, in sensible and latent forms. The heat sources are assumed to simulate electronic components undergoing a superheating technical issue. By extracting heat from the electronics, the PCM plays the role of a heat sink. To analyze the thermal behavior and predict the cooling performance of the proposed cooling system, we derive a nonlinear mathematical model based on mass, momentum and energy conservation laws. Several numerical investigations are conducted to quantify the influence of the fin position on the thermal behavior and the cooling performance of the heat sink. Predictions include the transient maximum temperature occurring inside the heat sources and the liquid volume. A comparison between our numerical results and experimental data selected from the literature shows a good agreement. The main conclusion is that the presence of the fin leads to a slight increase in the melting time.