Latent heat-of-fusion energy storage - Experiments on heat transfer from cylinders during melting

Conference · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979 · J. Heat Transfer; (United States)

OSTI ID:7046093

Bathelt, A G; Viskanta, R; Leidenfrost, W

Melting from an array of three staggered, electrically heated cylinders imbedded in a paraffin (n-octadecane) has been studied. The shape of the melting front has been determined photographically, and the local heat transfer coefficients were measured using a shadowgraph technique. The experiments provide conclusive evidence of the important role played by natural convection on the timewise variation of the melt shape, the surface temperature and the instantaneous local as well as circumferentially averaged heat transfer coefficients around the imbedded heat sources. After a common solid-liquid interface is formed around the cylinders, natural convection circulation around each cylinder interacts strongly with the other two cylinders. The arrangement of heat sources affects significantly the melt shape but the circumferentially averaged instantaneous heat transfer coefficients differ only by about 10 percent for the two arrangements studied. The experimental findings indicate that natural convection effects are important and should be considered in analysis and design of systems involving phase change.

• Research Organization: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• OSTI ID: 7046093
• Report Number(s): CONF-780520-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: J. Heat Transfer; (United States) Journal Volume: 101
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
250600* -- Energy Storage-- Thermal
ALKANES
CONFIGURATION
CONVECTION
CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION
DATA ANALYSIS
ELECTRIC HEATING
ENERGY
ENERGY STORAGE
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEAT
HEAT STORAGE
HEAT TRANSFER
HEATING
HYDROCARBONS
INTERFACES
LATENT HEAT STORAGE
MELTING
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARAFFIN
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
STORAGE
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
TESTING
WAXES