Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Phase Change Heat Transfer in the Presence of Rayleigh-Benard Convection

This research investigates the melting rate of a phase change material (PCM) in the presence of Rayleigh-Benard convection. A scaling analysis is conducted for the first time for such a problem, which is useful to identify the parameters affecting the phase change rate and to develop correlations for the solid-liquid interface location and the Nusselt number. The solid-liquid interface and flow patterns in the liquid region are analyzed for PCM in a rectangular enclosure heated from bottom. Numerical and experimental results both reveal that the number of Benard cells is proportional to the ratio of the length of the rectangular enclosure over the solid-liquid interface location (i.e.,, the liquified region aspect ratio). Their effect on the local heat flux is also analyzed as the local heat flux profile changes with the solid-liquid interface moving upward. The variations of average Nusselt number are obtained in terms of the Stefan number, Fourier number, and Rayleigh number. Eventually, the experimental and numerical data are used to develop correlations for the solid-liquid interface location and average Nusselt number for this type of melting problems.