Solidification of salt solutions on a horizontal surface

The freezing of water-salt solutions on a horizontal wall is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The growth of the solid-liquid region is observed for NaCl - H sub(2)O and N H sub(4)Cl - H sub(2)O systems under different temperature and concentration conditions. A unidirectional mathematical model is used to predict the solidification process. The transport of heat is by diffusion, and convection is absent. The mass diffusion is neglected and the growth of crystal is governed by the transport of heat. In all experiments, the solution salt concentration is smaller than the eutectic composition, and the wall temperature is higher than the eutectic temperature. The predicted temperature and salt concentration profiles, as well as the interface position, are compared with experimental data. (author)