Speaker
Description
The current simulation aims to investigate thermosolutal free convection with the Soret effect, suspended by nano-encapsulated phase change materials (NEPCMs) in a novel-shaped cavity. The model consists of an enclosure maintained at a low temperature Tc and concentration Cc with localized thermal and solutal sources set at a higher temperature Th and concentration Ch. The governing equations describing the heat and mass transfer within the NEPCM suspension are reformulated in dimensionless form and discretized using the finite element method. The phase change of the encapsulated nanoparticles is facilitated by the heat capacity of the core-shell layers. A number of key parameters, including the buoyancy ratio (N), the thermal Rayleigh number RaT, and the Soret number (Sr), are examined to assess their influence on heat and mass transfer properties for fixed values of the fusion temperature (θf=0.5) and the Stefan number (Ste=0.313). The Prandtl number is set to Pr=6.2. The simulations are presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms, iso-concentrations, heat capacity ratio, and average Nusselt (Nu) and Sherwood (Sh) numbers, providing valuable insights into heat and solute transport mechanisms in the presence of the Soret effect and NEPCMs within a diamond-shaped enclosure. Among the findings, it is observed that the thermal Rayleigh number RaT plays a crucial role in determining the fluid flow structure, while heat and mass transfer rates are influenced by the buoyancy ratio (N) and the Soret number Sr.
