Ice Block Melting Into a Binary Solution: Coupling of the Interfacial Equilibrium and the Flow Structures

Abstract

Melting of a vertical ice block in a cavity filled with an aqueous solution is studied experimentally. Local interfacial temperatures and front velocities are measured allowing for a quantitative study of the coupling of the fluid motion, thermal equilibrium and the local heat transfers at the melting front. It is found that the front equilibrium shift is correlated to the classical parameter of the phase change process, that is the Stefan number, while the local heat transfer at the interface is correlated to the parameters characterizing thermosolutal natural convection. Quantitative results about the time evolution of the double-diffusive multi-layers structure in the fluid phase are obtained. The formation of the first thermosolutal layer is analyzed with the help of numerical simulations. It is found that the mechanism responsible for the onset of this layer is due to a well known double-diffusive instability.