Experimental Study on the Influence of Inclination Angle on Phase Change Materials and Natural Convection During Melting

Abstract

Phase change materials are greatly affected by the inclination angle, which is one of the important parameters affecting natural convection during the melting process. The thermal performance of the phase-changing material was experimentally examined in this study by centrally passing a 1.21 mm diameter minichannel through it within the cylindrical casing. Water was employed as the working fluid, and RT-50 paraffin was utilized as the phase-changing material. The thermal impact of the phase-changing material during the heat transfer fluid charging process was experimentally analyzed, considering various inlet temperatures, depths, durations, and inclination angles. Additionally, Response Surface Methodology was applied to analyze the effects of the mentioned parameters on thermal performance and to establish a correlation for temperature values. The results indicated that the inclination angle greatly affects the formation and development of natural convection during the melting of pure phase change material, as well as the propagation of the solid-liquid interface and the rate of heat transfer. From the findings, at an inlet temperature of 55 degrees C, between 3 and 6 mm depth, max temperature change at 0 degrees angle was 28.4 %, between 6 and 9 mm depth, max change at 0 degrees angle was 7.51 %, and between 9 and 12 mm depth, max change at 90 degrees angle was 30.5 %.