Reply To: Simulation of a Phase Change Material within concentric pipes

[Elisa Revello]

Hi Vishesh, 

Thanks for your feedback.

If I can ask you one more question: I would like to visualize the conduction/convection mechanism along the pipe, but I don't understand how to correctly impose the boundary conditions.

• Currently, I have selected a water mass flow rate and a T (350 K) for the inlet BC and the following BC for the inner pipe_outerwall and for the wall_fluid domain, respectively:

    

 

• With these conditions (initialization of temperature field at 300 K) I have obtained the following output for T and clearly I have neither a temperature gradient, nor a melting process of the PCM (which should start to liquefy at 328 K).

 

 

Therefore, my question is: how could I set the problem where I would send a certain flow rate of hot fluid (water) into the inner pipe and see how this exchanges heat with the PCM confined externally in the concentric tubes? 

Could be the error related to the "solid" definition of the two pipes, not allowing the display of heat exchange?

Many thanks in advance!

Best regards,

Elisa Revello