A numerical study on solidification of a pure material inside an enclosure

A numerical parametric study has been conducted to investigate the solidification process of a pure material inside a rectangular enclosure based on enthalpy formulation of the governing energy equation. Solidification occurs from the cold wall of the enclosure which is maintained at constant temperature, while the rest of the walls are insulated. The effects of the cold wall temperature, aspect ratio of the enclosure, initial liquid superheat, and Prandtl number of the material are examined. A sloping phase front indicates qualitatively the effect of natural convection in the liquid on the phase front. A lower wall temperature increases the slope on the phase front. A similar observation is obtained for lower Prandtl number and higher aspect ratio. The initial liquid superheat does not have significant effect on the phase front. The phase front movement is significantly affected by the initial liquid superheat and cold wall temperature, but mot for Prandtl number and aspect ratio.