Convective instability of directional crystallization in a forced flow: The role of brine channels in a mushy layer on nonlinear dynamics of binary systems

The linear analysis of morphological instability of the crystallization process with a mushy layer is carried out. The instability is caused by the influence of a forced oceanic flow leading to the formation of brine channels in the anisotropic and heterogeneous phase transition domain. Two instability criteria are found for the cases of non-turbulent and turbulent boundary conditions at the mushy layer–ocean interface. The theory under consideration shows that the instability domain will depend highly on the physical and operating parameters of the system.