A numerical study of solid-liquid phase change with Marangoni effects using a multiphase approach (Q979612)

Summary: Numerical simulations of the solid-liquid phase change of bismuth with a free surface are carried out under different gravity conditions. A multiphase approach using the Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method over a fixed grid is used to solve the thermocapillary induced flow of the melt and gas phases. The dynamics of the gas phase affects heat transfer from the free surface and consequently the position and shape of the growth front. Higher temperature gradients lead to stronger melt thermocapillary flow and more deformed crystal interfaces. Under normal gravity, buoyancy and thermocapillarity combine to add to the concavity of the interfaces.