Numerical investigations of unconstrained melting of nano-enhanced phase change material (NEPCM) inside a spherical container

This paper presents a numerical study of unconstrained melting of nano-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCM) inside a spherical container using RT27 and copper particles as base material and nano-particle, respectively. Numerical studies are performed for three different Stefan number and volume f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of thermal sciences 2012, Vol.51, p.77-83
Main Authors: Hosseinizadeh, S.F., Darzi, A.A. Rabienataj, Tan, F.L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Computer simulation
Containers
Energy
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Exact sciences and technology
Heat transfer
Melting
Melting inside sphere
Nano-particle
Nanocomposites
Nanomaterials
Nanostructure
NEPCM
Phase change material
Thermal conductivity
Transport and storage of energy
Unconstrained melting
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Summary:This paper presents a numerical study of unconstrained melting of nano-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCM) inside a spherical container using RT27 and copper particles as base material and nano-particle, respectively. Numerical studies are performed for three different Stefan number and volume fraction of nano-particles with an initial sub-cooling of 6 °C. Transient numerical simulations are performed for axi-symmetric melting inside a sphere. The simulation results show that the nano-particles cause an increase in thermal conductivity of NEPCM compared to conventional PCM. The enhancement in thermal conductivity with a decrease in latent heat results in higher melting rate of NEPCM. ► The paper studied unconstrained melting inside a sphere with nano-enhanced phase change material (NEPCM). ► The NEPCM comprises paraffin wax as base material and copper particles as nano-particles. ► Numerical simulations are done at three different Stefan number and volume fraction of nano-particles. ► Simulation results show the enhancement in thermal conductivity of NEPCM causes a higher melting rate.
ISSN:1290-0729
1778-4166
DOI:10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2011.08.006