摘要
The melting process of n-octadecane in a rectangular cavity with three discrete protruding heat sources on its bottom surface was studied experimentally. It was observed that the experimental process, for the geometric arrangement in this paper, is neither a fixed melting nor a contact melting, but one m which fixed melting and contact melting take place alternatively. The effects of Stefan number, initial subcooling and aspect ratio on the melting process are reported. The larger the Stefan number, the more frequently the contact melting may occur, so does the aspect ratio. The initial subcooling plays a role only in early stage. As the melting process proceeds, its effect on the melting process becomes less.
