Solidified layer growth and decay characteristics during freeze coating of binary substance

The process of freeze coating of a binary substance on a continuous moving plate is studied theoretically, taking into full account the finite thickness of the plate and the flow and heat transfer in the two-phase mushy zone adjacent to the freeze coat. A mathematical model, composed of a system of equations governing the heat transfer in the plate, the freeze coat region, the two-phase mushy zone that is subdivided into the two-phase packing and the two-phase dispersed regions, and the melt region, is developed to describe the growth and decay behavior of the freeze coat on the moving plate. The governing equations, transformed into a dimensionless space to immobilize the solidus and liquidus interface locations, are solved numerically by an implicit finite difference method. Eight dimensionless parameters of the system that control the growth and decay behavior of the freeze coat are identified, and their effects on the maximum freeze-coat thickness and the corresponding axial location are determined.