Constructal Enhancement of Heat Conduction with Phase Change

For enhancing the heat energy release from a phase change material (PCM) the conductive fin is designed according to a proposed constructal rule, in which the high conductivity material (HCM) should be located at the place where the heat flux density is the largest. The local temperature gradient integration over time is taken as a criterion to determine where to distribute the limited HCM during a given time period. This rule is applicable to heat conduction of steady and unsteady conditions, as well as to the problems with and without phase change. Numerical simulations show that the constructal design of a conductive fin has much better performance than arbitrary ones. The constructal rule is an effective technique that designs the fin with high performance for enhancing heat conduction.