Numerical evaluation of convective heat transfer properties of two-dimensional rotating PCM melt in the unilaterally heated rectangular container

This paper carried out numerical investigations on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a phase change with two-dimensional rotation of the three-dimensional paraffin (RT-27)-filled rectangular encapsulated container (PCM-REC) in space. A three-dimensional transient numerical heat transfer model was established and the enthalpy method was used to simulate the solid-liquid phase transition process and the flow evolution at the PCM interface. In this paper, the solid-liquid interface distribution, temperature distribution and melting time of PCM in PCM-REC heated at a constant temperature on one side were compared when rotated at different angles (0 degrees, arctan (0.4), 2arctan (0.4) and 90 degrees) along the heating direction and vertical heating direction. Results demonstrated that the peak value of maximum natural convection velocity increased from 0.0072 m/s to 0.0184 m/s with increasing radial height when PCM-REC was rotated in vertical heating direction. When PCM-REC was rotated in two dimensions by the same angle, the melting time was fastest when g was an obtuse angle, and with the increase of the obtuse angle, the melting time shortened from 17 min to 6 min; when g was an acute angle, the melting time was slowest, and with the decrease of the acute angle, the melting time lengthened from 49 min to 288 min. (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper presents numerical investigations on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a rotating paraffin-filled rectangular container in space. The results show that the distribution of solid-liquid interface, temperature, and melting time vary with different rotation angles.