Segregation due to motion of front of solidification in phase change materials systems and dependence with shape and dimension factors

The present work investigates the segregation of particles due to the motion of front of solidification in phase change materials (PCMs) and its dependence with shape and dimension factors adjustable by design. It is shown that for particle diameters <10 mm this kind of segregation is the dominant mechanism overcoming the gravitational settling. Utilizing a simplified geometrical model on from the solution of Stephan problem, an analytical expression for the dependence of segregation on such factors was derived. The results show that shape and dimension factors profoundly affect the segregation which implies that the particle segregation can be controlled in great extent through system modeling and design optimization.