Abstract
Freezing of the binary solution ($H_2O-NaCl$) saturating a packed bed of spheres is investigated experimentally. The system is cooled through its top surface, and the bottom is maintained at a temperature above the liquidus. Experiments are performed on the hypolutectic side, and the cold wall temperature is lower than the eutectic point. The effects of initial mixture concentration, superheat and glass bead diameter on temperature and concentration distributions are investigated. Supercooling was observed only at early times of the freezing process for experiments with 5% initial salt concentration. Flow visualization experiments and mushy-liquid interface position observations revealed natural convection in the liquid region. Remelting phenomena was not observed at both the solid-mushy and mushy-liquid interfaces.
