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ISSN Online: 2377-424X

ISBN Print: 1-56032-797-9

International Heat Transfer Conference 11
August, 23-28, 1998, Kyongju, Korea

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ICE MELTING INSIDE A RECTANGULAR CAVITY WITH ADIABATIC VERTICAL WALLS

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC11.3660
pages 187-192

Abstract

The ice melting process in rectangular cavity with isothermal horizontal walls and adiabatic vertical walls has been numerically studied. It is assumed that in its initial state the area under study is fully filled with the ice, the temperature being less than the temperature of phase transition. Further on, for a certain period of time the temperature of the bottom wall sharply raises exceeding the temperature of phase transition and the process of melting starts.
Several numerical experiments have been carried out in which the process of melting is under study, i.e. the structure of its convectional flow, the temperature distribution, the position of its solid-liquid interface, the ratio between the volume of its solid and liquid phases, the distribution of its dimensionless heat flux (Nusselt numbers), etc., depending upon the initial degree of ice cooling. It has been ascertained that under certain conditions there might be a rate of established periodical variations of melting front caused by unstable convective How in liquid phase. Both period and amplitude of those vibrations have been determined. The pictures of the flows, demonstrating how the change of the structure can influence upon periodical change of the melting area's boundary-lines, have been obtained. Besides, the development of melting process has been compared with the stationary state of "ice-water" system for large and small number of Rayleigh.