PIV measurements of velocity of water in the presence of ice and comparison with calculated values

Particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) has been used to measure the laminar natural convection resulting from buoyancy attendant on the freezing of water in a small rectangular cavity with transparent walls. The measured velocities show the “unusual” flow resulting from water having a density maximum at 277 K. The PIV images also permitted the accurate determination of the shape and position of the solidification front in these quasi-steady experiments. The CFD software FLUENT® was used to simulate the flow and the position/shape of the solidification front with satisfactory results.