In this technical brief, the application of infrared thermal imaging to investigate melting of a phase-change material (PCM) filled in an open-cell metal foam was proposed. Melting experiments in a rectangular cell were performed with paraffin/copper foam composite samples having a single pore size of 15 ppi. The visualized study at the pore-scale was enabled using an infrared video camera equipped with a macrolens, offering a resolution of 50 μm. The transient thermal imaging results were first validated against the temperature readings by a pre-installed thermocouple. A relative deviation below 4% was observed between the two methods over the entire course of melting. The local thermal nonequilibrium between a copper ligament and its surrounding paraffin was found to become more pronounced as melting proceeds, which could reach up to the order of 10 °C during the late stage of melting. The quantitative observation of the local thermal nonequilibrium effect may facilitate improvement of the existing two-temperature models for numerical simulations on melting of PCM enhanced by embedding metal foams.
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Local Thermal Nonequilibrium During Melting of a Paraffin Filled in an Open-Cell Copper Foam: A Visualized Study at the Pore-Scale
Li-Wu Fan,
Li-Wu Fan
Mem. ASME
Institute of Thermal Science and Power Systems,
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China;
Institute of Thermal Science and Power Systems,
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China;
State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
e-mail: liwufan@zju.edu.cn
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
e-mail: liwufan@zju.edu.cn
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Hong-Qing Jin
Hong-Qing Jin
Institute of Thermal Science and Power Systems,
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Li-Wu Fan
Mem. ASME
Institute of Thermal Science and Power Systems,
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China;
Institute of Thermal Science and Power Systems,
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China;
State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
e-mail: liwufan@zju.edu.cn
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
e-mail: liwufan@zju.edu.cn
Hong-Qing Jin
Institute of Thermal Science and Power Systems,
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
School of Energy Engineering,
Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, China
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received May 4, 2016; final manuscript received October 10, 2016; published online December 7, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Guihua Tang.
J. Heat Transfer. Mar 2017, 139(3): 034505 (6 pages)
Published Online: December 7, 2016
Article history
Received:
May 4, 2016
Revised:
October 10, 2016
Citation
Fan, L., and Jin, H. (December 7, 2016). "Local Thermal Nonequilibrium During Melting of a Paraffin Filled in an Open-Cell Copper Foam: A Visualized Study at the Pore-Scale." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. March 2017; 139(3): 034505. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4035017
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