A Study of Transport Phenomena and Interface Stability During Solidification of Binary Solutions Using Front Tracking Finite Elements

Abstract

A new numerical method using front tracking finite elements is developed to solve the multidimensional transient heat and mass transfer equations associated with the solidification of binary solutions. The energy balance equation at the interface is not treated as a boundary condition, but rather as an independent equation whose solution gives the new position of the interface. A special new method is developed to which the interface is tracked in time by two steps: first the magnitude of displacement and the normal direction are independently obtained for each node on the interface, then they are superimposed to determine the new interface position. The numerical method can incorporate realistic thermodynamic conditions on the interface (including the effects of interfacial tension) and can accommodate the nonisothermal as well as the irregular but smooth interface. A novel meshing system based on a systematic exponential gridding concept is developed to yield accurate temperatures in the solid and liquid phases and concentration distribution in the liquid. This numerical method is then employed to study the transport phenomena as well as the morphological stability of a planar interface during a solidification process in a saline solution.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Binary Mixtures; Finite Element Method; Heat Transfer; Interface Stability; Interfacial Tension; Liquid-Solid Interfaces; Mass Transfer; Solidification; Thermodynamic Equilibrium; Time Dependence; Transport Properties; Exponential Functions; Mesh; Thermodynamic Properties; Time Dependence

Document Type

Technical Report

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 1984 University of California, Berkeley, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 1984

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