Experimental and analytical study of contact melting in a rectangular cavity
Conference
Dong, ZF, Chen, ZQ, Wang, QJ et al. (1990). Experimental and analytical study of contact melting in a rectangular cavity
. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Heat Transfer Division, (Publication) HTD, 132 1-8.
Dong, ZF, Chen, ZQ, Wang, QJ et al. (1990). Experimental and analytical study of contact melting in a rectangular cavity
. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Heat Transfer Division, (Publication) HTD, 132 1-8.
This paper reports on a detailed investigation of analytical and experimental findings for contact melting in a rectangular cavity with phase change materials (PCM) of n-heptadecane and n-eicosane (research grade purity). Specifically, consideration is given to the rectangular cavity with inside dimensions of 100 × 60 × 50mm. The vertical side walls and bottom temperature of this cavity are maintained constant by heating the circulated water flow. The other surfaces are subjected to an adiabatic condition. Based on observation of the melting phenomena and data obtained, a theoretical model is developed and its solution is derived analytically. The time-dependent, solid-liquid interface contour is measured photographically during the melting process. According to the shadowgraph technique, the maximum displacement on the screen represents the temperature gradient. This temperature gradient on the wall is measured by the shadowgraph method, which results in calculation of heat transfer coefficients. The scale analysis method is used to find the functional dependence of the dimensionless parameters, providing a reference frame for data reduction. The theoretical prediction is compared with experimental data and an excellent agreement is obtained. It is concluded that heat conduction in the melt phase is the controlling effect in a rectangular cavity.
