Solidification in a finite, initially overheated slab (Q1083971)

An approximate theory of solidification in a finite, initially overheated slab is developed for small Stefan numbers. One wall of the slab is taken to be insulated and the other is subject to an instantaneous temperature drop below the freezing point. Our approach combines the heat-balance integral method and the time-dependent perturbation theory. The resulting solution is valid uniformly in time. It predicts quantitatively the deviations of the process considered from solidification with no overheating. Simple expressions for the solidification time are derived. The accuracy of the present model is examined by comparing it with various asymptotic solutions.