Solidification in a Continuous Medium with Periodically Distributed Two-Dimensional Circular Pores

摘要

This paper demonstrates that the temporal variation of solidification interface in a continuous medium containing periodically distributed two-dimensional circular pores can be analytically predicted. Experiments using distilled water as the continuous medium to be solidified (frozen) are conducted to validate the model predictions for two selected porosities: ε = 0 and 0.5. Numerical simulations using the method of finite elements are also carried out to further explore the effect of topological anisotropy associated with pore arrangement on the effective thermal conductivity of the porous medium. The analytical solution well predicts the general trend of the solidification interface with a systematic deviation (underestimation). Such agreement nonetheless suggests that the delay of solidification is mainly caused by the reduction of the bulk thermal conductivity due to the presence of low-conducting pores, as this is the sole mechanism accounted for by the analytical model for solidification in a porous medium.