Natural Convection at a Solid-Liquid Phase Change Interface

Abstract

In this course “Phase Change and Convection — Modelling and Validation”, the influence of convection on solid-liquid phase change processes is considered at different levels. The local effects of convection at the local scale on dendritic growth is addressed in the chapter by G. Amberg and the scaling-up from the local equations to the averaged macroscopic equations in a mushy zone is presented in the chapter by P. Furmanski. The present chapter deals with the interaction between a “smooth” phase change interface and laminar natural convection in the melt. It addresses the main features of solid-liquid phase change in situations where the interface between the solid and the liquid phase is clearly defined. The presentation is focused on the consequence of buoyancy forces in the liquid phase on heat and mass transfer at a solid-liquid interface through convective flows: thermal natural convection for pure substances, or thermosolutal convection in multi-component fluids.