Experimental Investigation and Theoretical Modeling of Ice-Melting Processes

Abstract

In this article, ice-melting phenomena have been investigated experimentally. The geometrical shapes studied were cylindrical and right circular truncated cones. Ice blocks were left floating on a large water container in order to be melted. The rate of melting was measured experimentally. A relation was developed for the remaining mass of the ice in respect to time, considering the turbulent boundary layer around the ice block. Based on the experimental results, this assumption is confirmed, and a relation for a heat transfer coefficient between air and ice and water and ice has been developed in a dimensionless form. Using this relation, the ice-melting process can be presented by a single dimensionless number Kazeroon (Kz). This dimensionless parameter includes all of the effective parameters in ice-melting phenomena. A relation is presented between the mass of remaining ice and the Kz number. The mass of the remaining ice is calculated using this relation and is compared with the experimental results. Eighteen cylindrical and 15 right circular truncated cones have been experimentally examined. The results of the experimental studies have, with reasonable matching, been compared with those of the developed theoretical model.

Keywords:

• ice-melting
• heat transfer in melting
• dimensionless parameter
• remaining mass
• floating