Abstract
Analytic solutions are very important for providing physical insight and a basis for the examination of numerical and experimental results. However, analytic approaches are subject to extensive assumptions, so they cannot explain the complex phenomena involved with unconstrained melting. On the discharging conditions in real Thermal energy storage (TES) systems, such as capsule size, wall temperature and capsule materials, the assumptions used in the analytic solutions of unconstrained melting inside a spherical capsule are closely examined by comparing them with numerical solutions. Numerical approaches are more practical to implement all these complex behaviors, thus are used as the basis in the comparison after thorough validation. The restrictions on low Stefan number and low Rayleigh number of existing analytic solutions are addressed.
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Recommended by Associate Editor Ji Hwan Jeong
Sang Woo Hong received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Sejong University, Seoul, Korea in 2014. He is currently in M.S. course in Sejong University. His research interests include thermal driven system such as adsorption chiller or thermal storage system using heat and mass transfer phenomena.
Yong Tae Lee received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Sejong University, Seoul, Korea in 2015. He is currently in M.S. course in Sejong University. His research interests include thermal energy storage system using latent heat of fusion and numerical simulation of two phase flow.
Jae Dong Chung is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Sejong University. He received Ph.D. from Seoul National University in 1996. His interests include thermal energy storage & transport, low temperature cooling such as desiccant and adsorption cooling, nano-scale heat transfer, etc.
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Hong, S.W., Lee, Y.T. & Chung, J.D. Restrictions on the analytic approach of unconstrained melting inside a spherical capsule. J Mech Sci Technol 29, 5035–5042 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-015-1052-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-015-1052-7