Multiphase Simulations of Melting Particles in a High Temperature Environment

In this study, we model the multiphase evolution of a single, resolved particle exposed to a high-temperature environment. Simulations are conducted within the open-source, finite-volume computational fluid dynamics framework OpenFOAM. The multiphase problem is solved using a volume-of-fluid (VOF) interface-tracking method, with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) employed to maintain sharply resolved interfaces and improve computational efficiency. For model validation, we simulate the transient melting and evaporation of paraffin wax and 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) samples and compare numerical predictions with laboratory-scale experiments that provide time-resolved measurements of particle geometry and temperature evolution. The results demonstrate that the model accurately captures interface dynamics, melting rates, and phase-change progression, providing a foundation for predictive simulations of high-temperature particle evolution in complex thermochemical processes involving melting, evaporation, and resolidification.