Experimental investigation of flow and heat transfer in an electrically heated viscous liquid

The paper describes an experimental set-up for investigation of viscous now and heat transfer phenomena in melts which are heated electrically by means of electrodes immersed in the melt. The set-up involved measuring velocity and temperature distribution in a glycerin-5% LiCl solution contained in a cylindrical tank and heated by a pair of graphite electrodes. The velocity distribution was measured by tracking the displacement of particles in the fluid using a video camera and a large memory buffer frame grabber board (the Particle Displacement Tracking [PDT] technique). The PDT technique allowed the measurement of velocity distribution in an entire plane of the apparatus illuminated by a He-Ne laser. Results are reported to show the effects of power distribution and the electrode immersion on now and heat transfer in the system. In addition to providing insights into flow and heat transfer in an electrically heated melt, the results from this study may also be used to validate mathematical models for such a system. Preliminary findings from a mathematical model show good agreement between the predicted and the measured temperature distribution.