TRANSIENT RESPONSE DURING MELTING OF PCM USING NON-CIRCULAR HEATING CHANNELS

Abstract

The melting characteristics of a PCM in a horizontal cylinder using triangular heating channel has been investigated, experimentally. The test cell used was 5.0 cm in length with 4.8 cm dia and the heating channel was of equilateral crosssection having each side equal to 2 cm. Paraffin wax having molecular formula C27H54 was used. Heating was done by electrical heating element. Experiments were carried out for three different orientations of the heating channel. The melting was found to be asymmetric. It grew faster upward than downward. Conduction was found to be dominant heat transfer mode during the early stage of melting and as the melting continued the convection came into prominence. During the early stage of conduction dominated melting the inner wall temperature was found to increase monotonically and after the onset of convection it was more or less independent of time. The inner wall temperature has been found to increase also in the final stage of melting.