This course aims to study the interaction between a fluid flow and the phase change of a solid.
The phase change may be a phase transition or a dissolution/ precipitation phenomenon. The growth or erosion of the solid depends on the flux of heat or/ and concentration at the fluid/solid interface. In numerous situations of interest those are controlled by the fluid flow. Because a wavy topography modifies the flow in the vicinity of the interface, the coupling between the topography, the flow and the rate of phase change may control the shaping of the solid and lead to pattern formation. One adds another level of complexity when taking into account that the fluid density and buoyancy are functions of the temperature and the concentration. Moreover, one has to tackle both the transport of heat and concentration when considering the crucial example of ice melting in a salty water.

These mechanisms are responsible for shaping natural systems on a large scale and give rise to plethora of patterns and growth forms. Melting of ice cover has environmental consequences in a context of global warming to determine the long-term evolution of the sea ice and glaciers. In geomorphology, the carving of soluble rocks like limestone, gypsum, or salt by water creates networks of caves, stone forests and other intricate patterns of the karstic landscapes.
Solidification and convection processes are driving the melt dynamics in Earth’s outer core and mantle. Winds shape icy ripples and dunes on the polar cap of Mars. Some of the mechanisms presented here for the phase change of a solid apply also to other hydrodynamic problems at interfaces. Evaporation at the interface between a liquid and the atmosphere is in fact analogous to a dissolution phenomenon, because the saturated vapor pressure plays the role of a saturation concentration. Additionally, in two phase systems, buoyancy instabilities can be triggered by dissolution or precipitation.

In addition to shaping the natural systems, phase transitions in advective flow are also important for a number of engineering applications. In hydrology, understanding of flow-driven dissolution is crucial for the risk assessment of contaminant migration out of underground reservoirs or the dam stability problems. The control of flow instabilities is a challenge in the processes of carbon dioxide sequestration. Control of solidification plays a key role in metallurgy and crystal growth, but also for the prevention of scaling in geothermal power plants or icing prevention in aircrafts or photovoltaic devices.

The School is mainly addressed to doctoral students, post-docs and early career researchers interested in environmental fluid mechanics, but remains open to the researchers of other profiles in physics, physical chemistry, geophysics or engineering.
Seniors researchers and practicing engineers are also welcomed.