Paolo Proia | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Heat Transfer in Phase Change Materials with Multiple Fin Insertion

We leverage 3D numerical simulations to study phase change materials (PCMs) cells under the effect of buoyancy forces. The solid PCM is heated from a source boundary, triggering melting. The source features multiple solid fins that protrude into the PCM cell; the impact of the fins and their number is investigated by designing and testing equivalent (in terms of heating power) finless and single fin simulations. For each configuration, the performance is quantified via the total molten substance in time. The designs were also tested for different values of the non-dimensional numbers encoding relevant properties. We confirm that fins increase the melting performance and find that single fin configurations are sub-optimal since a layout with multiple fins takes advantage of interstitial spaces, melting the substance more efficiently. The results also indicate that fins should be properly spaced, as closeness can result in overlapping, thus interfering, molten areas.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Heat transfer modulation in Phase Change Materials via fin insertion

We leverage a large set of numerical simulations to study optimized geometrical configurations for Phase Change Materials (PCMs) cells. We consider a PCM cell as a square enclosure with a solid substance that undergoes melting under the effect of a heat source from one side and under the effects of buoyancy forces. Moreover, an additional source fin with prescribed length $l$ and height $h$ protrudes into the cell perpendicularly from the heat source. The fin prompts enhanced heat transfer and convection within the PCM cell, thus shortening (in comparison to a finless cell) the melting time $t_m$ needed for all the PCM material to melt and transit from the solid to the liquid phase. This improvement is systematically studied as a function of the fin geometrical details ($l$, $h$), as well as the Rayleigh number $\operatorname{Ra}$ -- encoding the importance of buoyancy forces with respect to diffusion/dissipation effects -- and the Stefan number $\operatorname{St}$ -- encoding the importance of sensible heat with respect to latent heat. Overall, our systematic study in terms of the free parameters $l$, $h$, $\operatorname{Ra}$ and $\operatorname{St}$ offers inspiring insights to optimize the structure of a PCM cell during its manufacturing process and suggests optimal operating conditions for such geometrical configurations.

physics.flu-dyn↗