MODELLING OF CONTACT MELTING INSIDE A HEATED CAPSULE

摘要

A mathematical model is presented for the contact melting of a phase change material (PCM) inside a heated parallelepipedic capsule. Results indicate that the melted fraction from close contact melting at the bottom of the capsule is larger, by an order of magnitude, than that from conduction dominated melting at the top. The melting process is chiefly governed by the Stefan number but it is also stongly influenced by the side dimensions of the capsule. An analytical expression is also determined from the model for the duration of close contact melting of a parallelepipedic PCM block resting on a heated plate.