Abstract
In the present work, we investigate the melting process of phase-change material (PCM) such as paraffin wax. The study is carried out by an illustrative numerical exercise using an enthalpy-porosity method for modeling the melting process. The isotherms and the liquid-solid interface of the melting process, the impact of the hot temperature, the effect of the aspect ratio and of the inclination of the heating surfaces of a square cavity, the stored energy, and the melt fraction are studied and analyzed at different stages. The results showed that the energy was amplified with the increase in the temperature gap. The degree of the influence of convection was also increased by decreasing the aspect ratio. Finally, the melting fusion and the stored energy are better for vertical wall heating than for horizontal bottom wall heating.