Influence of Coriolis force on bulk flows during horizontal Bridgman growth on a centrifuge: a numerical study

Abstract Three-dimensional and time-dependent numerical simulations are performed for melt convection in horizontal Bridgman crystal growth under high gravity conditions by means of a centrifuge. The numerical results show that Coriolis force can cause a stabilizing effect on the fluctuations of the melt flow under a specific rotation direction and rotation rates of the centrifuge as reported in previous experiments (Ma et al., Materials Processing in High Gravity, Plenum Press, New York, 1994, p. 61). The present simulation provides details of the flow features associated with the effect of the Coriolis force. There are also some differences between the present three-dimensional and former two-dimensional numerical solutions particularly in the prediction of the critical conditions and flow patterns.