Title: CAD modelling of solidification phase front around a vertical finned tube

Authors: S.C. Fok; F.L. Tan; K.K. Leow

Addresses: The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ' School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore. ' School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore

Abstract: The rate of solidification of phase change materials can affect the efficiency of latent heat storage systems. This paper proposes the use of CAD to model the solidification process of a phase change material around a vertical finned tube. The approach uses a digital camera to capture the time progression of the solidification phase front. The captured 2D images are then transformed to solid models using a CAD software package. This approach is currently restricted to solidification processes that are symmetrical about an axis of revolution. Future work will focus on more complex solidification processes.

Keywords: solid modelling; freezing; vertical finned tubes; phase change materials; CAD; solidification; latent heat storage.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAET.2012.048839

International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology, 2012 Vol.4 No.5, pp.420 - 431

Published online: 16 Aug 2014 *

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