Comparison of LBM and FVM for Simulation of Solid-Liquid Phase Change Problem with Natural Convection

Phase change materials (PCM) are wildly investigated and used in the fields of thermal energy storage and thermal control of electronics. Numerical simulation is an important method in the research, development, analysis and design of PCM based systems. At present, there are two main numerical methods for the simulation of solid-liquid phase transition problems with natural convection: the finite volume method (FVM) based on macroscopic scale continuity equations, and the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on mesoscopic scale lattice Boltzmann equation. In this paper, the calculation characteristics, speed, efficiency, and accuracy of the two numerical methods are compared, with the classical solid-liquid phase change heat transfer experimental results as benchmark reference. The results obtained in this paper can be used as valuable reference for the selection and use of numerical simulation methods in the study of solid-liquid phase transition problems.