Experimental and numerical study of melting in a cylinder

Well-controlled and well-characterized experimental measurements are obtained during the melting of a moderate-Prandtl-number material (n-eicosane) in a cylindrical enclosure heated from the side. The study aims to provide benchmark experimental measurements for validation of numerical codes. Experimental results in terms of measured temperatures and melt front locations are reported in both graphical and tabular forms. The melt front was captured photographically and its location ascertained using digital image processing techniques. To facilitate numerical validation exercises, a complete set of experimental results have been made available on a website for public access. An illustrative numerical comparison exercise was also undertaken using a multiblock finite volume method and the enthalpy method for a range of Stefan numbers. The experimental boundary conditions can be adequately represented with a constant and uniform side wall temperature, a constant and uniform lower surface temperature, and an adiabatic top wall. Very good agreement was obtained between the predictions and the experiment for Stefan numbers of up to 0.1807. The experimental results for a Stefan number of 0.0836 are recommended as being the most suitable for numerical benchmarking, since the boundary conditions are best controlled in this set of experiments.

[1]  A. Bejan,et al.  Heat transfer handbook , 2003 .

[2]  Adrian Bejan,et al.  Scaling theory of melting with natural convection in an enclosure , 1988 .

[3]  Vishwanath Prasad,et al.  Numerical algorithm using multizone adaptive grid generation for multiphase transport processes with moving and free boundaries , 1996 .

[4]  Ephraim M Sparrow,et al.  Inward Melting in a Vertical Tube Which Allows Free Expansion of the Phase-Change Medium , 1982 .

[5]  Chie Gau,et al.  Melting and Solidification of a Pure Metal on a Vertical Wall , 1986 .

[6]  Vaughan R Voller,et al.  ENTHALPY-POROSITY TECHNIQUE FOR MODELING CONVECTION-DIFFUSION PHASE CHANGE: APPLICATION TO THE MELTING OF A PURE METAL , 1988 .

[7]  K. A. Tagavi,et al.  SOLIDIFICATION VOID FORMATION FOR CYLINDRICAL GEOMETRIES , 1990 .

[8]  Charles T. Lynch,et al.  Practical Handbook of Materials Science , 1989 .

[9]  J. Koster,et al.  Visualization of liquid-solid interface morphologies in gallium subject to natural convection , 1994 .

[10]  Jae S. Lim,et al.  Two-Dimensional Signal and Image Processing , 1989 .

[11]  J. Prusa,et al.  Melting and Freezing , 1989 .

[12]  R. Viskanta,et al.  Solidification of a pure metal at a vertical wall in the presence of liquid superheat , 1988 .

[13]  S. Himran,et al.  Characterization of Alkanes and Paraffin Waxes for Application as Phase Change Energy Storage Medium , 1994 .

[14]  K. Marsh.  TRC thermodynamic tables : non-hydrocarbons , 1985 .

[15]  Arun S. Mujumdar,et al.  The dynamics of energy storage for paraffin wax in cylindrical containers , 1983 .

[16]  Jonathan A. Dantzig,et al.  MODELLING LIQUID-SOLID PHASE CHANGES WITH MELT CONVECTION , 1989 .

[17]  R. Viskanta,et al.  Inward solid-liquid phase-change heat transfer in a rectangular cavity with conducting vertical walls , 1984 .

[18]  Dominique Gobin,et al.  Melting in Rectangular Enclosures: Experiments and Numerical Simulations , 1985 .

[19]  M. Toner,et al.  A MODEL OF DIFFUSION-LIMITED ICE GROWTH INSIDE BIOLOGICAL CELLS DURING FREEZING , 1994 .

[20]  E. Sparrow,et al.  Freezing in a Vertical Tube , 1983 .

[21]  Marcel Lacroix,et al.  Melting driven by natural convection A comparison exercise: first results , 1999 .

[22]  E. Sparrow,et al.  Application of a spherical thermal conductivity cell to solid n-eicosane paraffin , 1990 .

[23]  Kim Charn-Jung,et al.  A numerical method for phase-change problems with convection and diffusion , 1992 .

[24]  Vasilios Alexiades,et al.  RESOLVING THE CONTROVERSY OVER TIN AND GALLIUM MELTING IN A RECTANGULAR CAVITY HEATED FROM THE SIDE , 2003 .

[25]  Hui Zhang,et al.  An advanced multi-block method for the multiresolution modelling of EFG silicon tube growth , 2003 .

[26]  H. Beer,et al.  Influence of natural convection on the melting process in a vertical cylindrical enclosure , 1980 .

[27]  S. Krishnan,et al.  Analysis of a phase change energy storage system for pulsed power dissipation , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Components and Packaging Technologies.

[28]  Yogesh Jaluria,et al.  A COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT SOLUTION METHODOLOGIES FOR MELTING AND SOLIDIFICATION PROBLEMS IN ENCLOSURES , 1993 .

[29]  Suresh V. Garimella,et al.  Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Melt Casting of Explosives , 2005 .

[30]  Suresh V. Garimella,et al.  Thermal Management of Transient Power Spikes in Electronics—Phase Change Energy Storage or Copper Heat Sinks? , 2004 .

[31]  Joel H. Ferziger,et al.  Computational methods for fluid dynamics , 1996 .

[32]  Susan Eitelman,et al.  Matlab Version 6.5 Release 13. The MathWorks, Inc., 3 Apple Hill Dr., Natick, MA 01760-2098; 508/647-7000, Fax 508/647-7001, www.mathworks.com , 2003 .

[33]  Suresh V. Garimella,et al.  An investigation of the solutal, thermal and flow fields in unidirectional alloy solidification , 1998 .

[34]  J. Timmermans.  Physico-chemical constants of pure organic compounds , 1950 .

[35]  C. Yaws.  Chemical properties handbook , 1999 .