Solid-liquid phase-change heat transfer in a vertical cylinder heated from above

The melting problem in a cylinder cavity is solved numerically by using a two-dimensional finite volume phase-change heat conduction model. By a comparison with Neumann's exact solution, it is shown that the accuracy of the numerical method is satisfactory. The problem is studied also experimentally with n-octadecane as the phase change material. The trends of the solid-liquid interface position and temperature profiles measured in the experiments are compared with predictions of the numerical method. This shows that a two-dimensional approach improves the agreement between theory and experiment, but also that other physical effects need to be considered.