Numerical Study of PCM Melting Process Inside Concentric Cylinders

Abstract

This study deals with PCM melting process inside concentric cylinder is analyzed and simulated numerically. The shape of the shell and the central tube can be circular or elliptical. The ellipse was tested in two different orientations, in order to study the effect of the orientations, the temperature evolution inside the cavity and the Nusselt number are presented for the three configurations. The evolution of the melting fraction allows to study thoroughly the melting process. The results demonstrate that the inclined elliptical tube absorbs heat faster than the horizontal ellipse.