Abstract
The present paper investigated the effect of ultrasonic vibrations on the melting process of phase-change materials (PCM). Furthermore, the present study considered constant heat-flux boundary condition, whereas many of the previous researches had adopted constant wall-temperature condition. The results of the present study revealed that ultrasonic vibrations accompanied the effects like acoustic streaming, cavitation, and thermally-oscillating flow. Such effects are a prime mechanism in the overall melting process when ultrasonic vibrations are applied. They speed up the melting process as much as 2.5 times, compared with the result of natural melting. Also, energy can be saved by applying ultrasonic vibrations to the natural melting. In addition, temperature and Nusselt numbers over time provided a conclusive evidence of the important role of ultrasonic vibrations on the melting phenomena.