This study focuses on a basic configuration in which Close-Contact Melting (CCM) takes place, namely, a vertical cylindrical block of a Phase-Change Material (PCM), melting under its own weight on a heated horizontal surface while surrounded by air. The initial purpose is to demonstrate that the widely used enthalpy–porosity approach fails to address even this simple configuration properly, and to suggest practical ways to overcome this major drawback. Accordingly, to capture the dynamics of CCM and its inherent features without distortions, a numerical approach is developed that incorporates an additional source term directly into the momentum equation. The suggested method allows gravity to act selectively on the solid phase, enabling it to descend as a rigid body without deformation. Consequently, the model overcomes the damping limitations of the conventional mushy-zone parameter of the enthalpy–porosity approach, facilitating a realistic simulation of heat transfer, phase change, and liquid motion in the thin layer between the heated surface and solid PCM. The method is validated against experimental data and with several benchmark experimental datasets from the literature concerning in-depth CCM studies. The results demonstrate excellent agreement in solid descent, melting front evolution, and liquid layer behavior. In addition, a parametric study is performed to quantify the influence of sample geometry and applied heat flux on the melting rate, pressure distribution, and liquid layer thickness. On the theoretical side, it is argued that the problem in question is similar to the classical squeezing flow configuration, and some insights gained there are applicable in the current study. Thus, this research refines the enthalpy–porosity method and establishes a robust simulation framework for analyzing CCM. These outcomes provide a foundation for future studies of similar processes in thermal energy storage and thermal management solutions that involve PCMs, where extended surfaces and external loading may be used to further enhance the PCM thermal performance.
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