A phase field approach to solidification and solute separation in water solutions

We propose a phase field model for the solid–liquid phase transition in a water-salt (sodium chloride) solution in the absence of macroscopic motion, under possibly non-isothermal conditions. A thermodynamic approach based on a free energy functional is assumed. The model consists of three evolution equations: a time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equation for the solid–liquid phase change, a diffusion equation of the Cahn–Hilliard kind for the solute dynamics and the heat equation for the temperature change. The proposed system is aimed to contribute to the modelling of the brine channels formation in the ice of the polar seas.