The capability of predicting accurately the detailed behavior of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) undergoing a phase change is of paramount importance when designing practical systems using this kind of materials. In particular, the prediction of the dendrite growth dynamics is quite vital since it gives the possibility of optimizing PCM-based energy storage systems submitted to cyclic impulses. In this paper, we present a physical model based on the phase-field approach to simulate a dendritic growth occurring during the solidification process of a pure material. The resulting system of partial differential equations is solved numerically by using a finite-difference method. As a first step, 2-D simulations are carried out which permit to analyze the shape of the growing dendrites. Then, the effect of the anisotropy on the growth behavior of these dendrites is also presented and discussed.
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