A sharp numerical method for the simulation of Stefan problems with convective effects

We present a numerical method for the solution of interfacial growth governed by the Stefan model coupled with incompressible fluid flow. An algorithm is presented which takes special care to enforce sharp interfacial conditions on the temperature, the flow velocity and pressure, and the interfacial velocity. The approach utilizes level-set methods for sharp and implicit interface tracking, hybrid finite-difference/finite-volume discretizations on adaptive quadtree grids, and a pressure-free projection method for the solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The method is first verified with numerical convergence tests using a synthetic solution. Then, computational studies of ice formation on a cylinder in crossflow are performed and provide good quantitative agreement with existing experimental results, reproducing qualitative phenomena that have been observed in past experiments. Finally, we investigate the role of varying Reynolds and Stefan numbers on the emerging interface morphologies and provide new insights around the time evolution of local and average heat transfer at the interface.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this paper, a numerical method is presented for solving the interfacial growth problem governed by the Stefan model coupled with incompressible fluid flow. The method employs level-set methods, adaptive quadtree grids, and a pressure-free projection method to track the interface and solve the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The method is verified and validated through numerical tests and computational studies, providing new insights into interface morphologies and heat transfer time evolution.