PIV study on the development of double-diffusive convection during the solidification effected by lateral cooling for a super-eutectic binary solution

The solidification of a binary solution occurs in a variety of industrial applications. The fundamental mechanism of the development of “double-diffusive convection” during solidification was one of the main subjects of study in the past. This study focused on the effect of the initial concentration of a super-eutectic aqueous ammonium chloride solution on the development of double-diffusive convection during the solidification process. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique was employed to measure the flow velocity and observe the morphological conditions associated with the solidification effected by cooling from the side wall. The transient temperature distribution within a test cell was also measured by using the designed experimental system. PIV measurement revealed that the flow structure was composed of a major circulation flow within the test cell for the binary solution with low-concentration and multiple layers of circulation flows developed in sequence in the melt of the test cell for the high-concentration binary solution. Test-cell images captured by CCD camera indicated the presence of more A-segregates within the mushy zone as the initial concentration of the binary solution increased. For the low-concentration binary solution, under circumstances of without or with very weak double-diffusive convection, transient temperature distribution presented thermal stratification within the test cell. However, strong double-diffusive convection resulted in intersection on temperature curves for the high-concentration binary solution.