NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION INTO SOLIDIFICATION IN A HORIZONTAL ANNULUS

Tóm tắt

This paper presents a numerical investigation into the solidification process in an annulus that is placed horizontally. The method used is a front-tracking method combined with a linear interpolation technique. The inner wall of the annulus is held at cold temperature, which is lower than the melting point of the liquid, while its outer wall is insulated during solidification. Accordingly, the solidification initially takes place around the inner wall, and evolves in the direction of increasing the annulus radius. Various parameters such as the Rayleigh number (Ra), the Stefan number (St), and the initial temperature of the liquid (0) are investigated. The numerical results show that increasing any of these parameters enhances the eccentricity of the solidified layer during the initial stages of solidification. Moreover, an increase in Ra or St reduces the time for completing solidification. However, the solidification process takes longer with increasing 0. In addition, the effect of the annulus eccentricity is also investigated.