Experimental and numerical study on single ice crystal growth of deionized water and 0.9 % NaCl solution under static magnetic field

Ice crystal growth of water and its aqueous solution is the key phenomenon in food freezing. In this research, the effect of static magnetic field (SMF) on single ice crystal growth was investigated combing experiment and simulation. The ice crystal growth of water and NaCl-water solution under 0 - 15 mT SMF intensities were studied. The UV absorbance of water after SMF treatment was measured. Phase field model was adopted to simulate the ice crystal growth. The results show that SMF significantly inhibited the growth rate, while had little effect on the morphology and growth direction of ice crystals. SMF had a certain enhancement effect on the UV absorbance of deionized water. The proposed model could well simulate the ice crystal growth under different SMF intensities. Combining experimental and simulation results, it can be inferred that SMF inhibits ice crystal growth by enhancing original hydrogen bonds and reducing free energy.