A bidimensional phase-field model with convection for change phase of an alloy

The article analyzes a two-dimensional phase-field model for a non-stationary process of solidification of a binary alloy with thermal properties. The model allows the occurrence of fluid flow in non-solid regions, which are a priori unknown, and is thus associated to a free boundary value problem for a highly non-linear system of partial differential equations. These equations are the phase-field equation, the heat equation, the concentration equation and a modified Navier-Stokes equations obtained by the addition of a penalization term of Carman-Kozeny type which accounts for the mushy effects. A proof of existence of weak solutions for such system is given. The problem is firstly approximated and a sequence of approximate solutions is obtained by Leray-Schauder fixed point theorem. A solution is then found by using compactness argument.