Mathematical modelling of nucleation and growth of crystals with buoyancy effects

Abstract

A complete analytical solution of the integro-differential model describing the nucleation of crystals and their subsequent growth in a binary system with allowance for buoyancy forces is constructed. An exact analytical solution of the Fokker-Planck-type equation for the three-parameter density distribution function is found for arbitrary nucleation kinetics. Two important cases of the Weber–Volmer–Frenkel–Zel’dovich and Meirs kinetics are considered in some detail. It is shown that the solute concentration decreases and the distribution function increases with increasing the melt supercooling (with increasing the depth of a metastable system). It is demonstrated that the distribution function attains its minimum at a certain size of crystals owing to buoyancy forces.

Keywords:

• Nucleation
• crystal growth
• buoyancy

Notes

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation [grant number 16-11-10095].