| Numerical methods for the simulation of phase-change problems have matured considerably during the past three decades. However, when convection in the melt is also considered, the numerical problem increases in difficulty, to the point where even today, no benchmark solution is available for code developers. The problem of melting of a low Prandtl number metal in a rectangular cavity heated from a vertical wall has been widely used for assessment and comparison purposes. The case of gallium melting opened up a controversy about the nature of the solution: “Is the flow structure mono-cellular or multi-cellular?” More than a decade later, the controversy is not yet resolved. Melting of tin, recently suggested as a benchmark problem, also brought the same controversy. In this study, we develop a code for the numerical simulation of pure materials phase-change problems including convection. We use the code to perform extensive comparisons between results from different schemes and grid sizes for tin melting, and as a result, we are able to resolve the controversy. A convergence study is also performed and a reference solution proposed. The study includes a detailed description of the dynamics occurring during the melting process. Suggestions are offered regarding the validation of phase-change problems. |
