Melting of non-Newtonian phase change material in a finned triple-tube: Efficacy of non-uniform magnetic field

Abstract

In this paper, a numerical study is presented on the melting process and heat transfer enhancement of a non-Newtonian phase change material (NPCM) in a double tube and a finned triple tube. The non-Newtonian power-law model and the enthalpy-porosity method were utilized to simulate the melting of non-Newtonian. The effects of geometrical parameters of storage enclosure, non-Newtonian model and non-uniform magnetic field on NPCM melting process were investigated. The results showed that the triple-tube could be more effective in enhancing the melting process than that of double-tube. By increasing the radius of the middle tube and decreasing the length of the fins attached to the middle tube, the melting process of non-Newtonian fluid decreased. In this study, increased consistency index and decreased non-Newtonian fluid index caused a decrease in the melting process. By using a non-uniform magnetic field and increasing its intensity, the melting performance of the triple-finned tube increased by 12–16%.

Keywords

• Melting process
• Non-Newtonian PCM
• Finned triple pipe
• Non-uniform magnetic field