Ice front shaping by upward convective current

The extent and the morphology of ice forming in a differentially heated cavity filled with water are studied by means of experiments and numerical simulations. We show that the main mechanism responsible for the ice shaping is the existence of a cold upward convective current in the system. Such a current is ascribed to the peculiar equation of state of water, i.e., the nonmonotonous dependence of density with temperature. The precise form of the ice front depends on several factors, first, the temperature difference across the cell which drives the convection, and second, the wall inclination with respect to the vertical, both of which are explored here. We propose a boundary-layer model and a buoyancy-intensity model which account for the main features of the ice morphology.

Automated summary

The study investigates the extent and morphology of ice formation in a cavity filled with water under differentially heated conditions using experiments and numerical simulations. The main mechanism driving ice shaping is identified as the presence of a cold upward convective current in the system, attributed to the peculiar equation of state of water. Factors such as temperature difference across the cell and wall inclination are explored to determine the precise form of the ice front, with proposed boundary-layer and buoyancy-intensity models explaining the main features of ice morphology.