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Melting of a sphere in hot fluid

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

Paul Mcleod ,
David S. Riley  and
R. Stephen. J. Sparks
Paul Mcleod
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
David S. Riley
Affiliation:
Department of Theoretical Mechanics, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
R. Stephen. J. Sparks
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
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Abstract

Solid bodies immersed in hot fluids may melt. The molten material produced can then mix with, and be assimilated into, the fluid influencing its compositional and thermal states. Compositional convection of melt and thermal convection of cooled fluid around the solid determine the heat flux from the fluid to the solid's surface. This, together with the thermal properties of the solid, controls the rate of melting. Experiments on melting wax spheres into water are described; these have shown how variations in the nature of melt flow round the sphere cause differing melting rates and hence the development of a distinctive melting morphology. Melting rates are calculated by a simple theoretical analysis which estimates melt layer thickness and the heat flux from the fluid. Melting rate predictions agree well with the experimental data. A geological application occurs when magma incorporates blocks of its surrounding wall rock. Relatively rapid melting rates are estimated, typically in the order of a half metre per day. Such fast rates indicate that this method of contamination may be an important influence on magmatic evolution in continental environments.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 327 , 25 November 1996 , pp. 393 - 409
Copyright
© 1996 Cambridge University Press

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