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At a sharp mush–liquid edge with linear liquidus $T_L=T_m-mC$, marginal equilibrium makes the liquid temperature gradient tangent to the local liquidus: $T_z=-m{C}_z$. Together with $T=T_L$ at the edge and $T\ge T_L$ in the exterior liquid, it supplies the usual absence-of-constitutional supercooling closure. When solute diffusion is neglected inside the mushy layer but retained outside it, interfacial solute conservation can require a small solid fraction jump; imposing unit porosity as an additional finite-diffusivity condition generally overdetermines this sharp-edge reduction.

Take $z$ positive downwards from the roof. Write $T_0=T_m-m{C}_0$, $C_B=(T_m-T_B)/m$, $\Delta T=T_0-T_B=m(C_B-C_0)>0$ and $\Delta C=C_B-C_0$. The cooled magma follows the decreasing liquidus from $(C_0,T_0)$ towards $(C_B,T_B)$; the initially superheated liquid starts at $(C_0,T_{\infty })$ above that liquidus. The solid has zero solute concentration. At each temperature in the mushy layer, a horizontal tie line joins the pure solid to the residual liquid on the liquidus. The lever rule gives the liquid fraction from the bulk concentration. Since $T_B>T_E$, this path stops before the eutectic temperature and does not cross the eutectic composition.

The porosity $\varphi$ denotes the liquid fraction, so $1-\varphi$ is the solid fraction. Equal phase mass densities remove volume-change flow; the stable density stratification suppresses convection. In the stagnant mushy-layer model, define bulk specific enthalpy and bulk solute concentration byThe arbitrary reference of specific enthalpy has been omitted. The two conservation laws in $0<z<h(t)$ areHere $\kappa =k_T/(\rho c_p)$ is the thermal diffusivity, with $k_T$ the thermal conductivity. The positive $L{\varphi }_t$ term records increased specific enthalpy on melting; during freezing it supplies latent heat. In the liquid $z>h(t)$, the heat equation and solute diffusion equation arewhere $D$ is the solutal diffusivity. Neglecting solute diffusion inside the mushy layer does not permit dropping $D{C}_{zz}$ in the liquid at this stage.

Use $T(0,t)=T_B$, liquid $T\to T_{\infty }$ and $C\to C_0$ as $z\to \infty$, and initially $h=0$, $T=T_{\infty }$, $C=C_0$ for $z>0$. These are the half-space boundary conditions appropriate before cooling reaches the bottom of the chamber. For a closed chamber of finite depth $H$, replace the far-field conditions by the specified bottom conditions, for example $T_z=C_z=0$ at an insulated impermeable floor; the half-space similarity solution then ceases to apply when the thermal penetration depth approaches $H$.

At $z=h(t)$, let $C_i$ and $T_i=T_m-m{C}_i$ be the common liquid concentration and temperature, and let ${\varphi }_i$ be the limiting porosity on the mush side. Continuity of $T,C$, the Rankine-Hugoniot condition for solute, and the interfacial conservation of energy giveThe first condition has the sign of solute rejection into the liquid. For the sharp-edge stagnant mushy-layer model with nonzero liquid solutal diffusivity, close the free-boundary problem by marginal equilibrium at a mush-liquid boundary:This prevents constitutional supercooling immediately ahead of the mushy layer. A small solid fraction jump at its edge is allowed: imposing ${\varphi }_i=1$ as well as these finite-$D$ conditions would generally overdetermine the reduced model. At the roof, $C=C_B$ follows from the liquidus, and no additional solute-flux boundary condition is needed in the diffusion-free mush.

To obtain the large-concentration similarity solution, putThe positive superheat specifies the physically intended liquid initial state. On a similarity solution, $C_i,{\varphi }_i$ are constant, so every newly incorporated level leaves the same constant $B={\varphi }_i{C}_i$. Write $C_i=C_0+\Delta C\delta$ and $B=\Delta C(\mathcal{C}+a)$. Then throughout the mushy layerFor $a,\theta =O(1)$, $\mathcal{C}\gg 1$, and $\mathcal{S}/\mathcal{C}=O(1)$, the effective heat capacity is constant to relative error $O({\mathcal{C}}^{-1})$. Thus setIntegration of the similarity solution ordinary differential equation gives the leading analytical profilesThe temperature is $T=T_0+\Delta T\theta$. In the mushy layer, the concentration and porosity are the displayed $C,\varphi$; in the liquid,These retain the liquid solutal boundary layer. For completeness, finite-$r$ values of $\delta ,a,\lambda$ are determined analytically, to the same large-$\mathcal{C}$ order, by settingand solvingThe solute jump gives ${\varphi }_i=1-b/(\mathcal{C}+\delta )$ exactly; replacing $\mathcal{C}$ by $\mathcal{C}+\delta$ on the right of the last equation retains that jump's next-order factor, but does not make the linearized thermal profiles exact at finite $\mathcal{C}$. The branch has $0\le \delta <1$, $0<\varphi \le 1$. All these profiles are leading asymptotic expressions, not exact solutions of the nonlinear finite-$\mathcal{C}$ heat equation.

For $r\to 0$ at fixed positive $\lambda$, the complementary error function asymptotic gives $K(\lambda /\sqrt{r})\sim \sqrt{\pi }\lambda /\sqrt{r}$, hence $\delta =O(r)$, $b=O(r)$, $a\to 0$, and ${\varphi }_i\to 1$. The result simplifies toIn particular, $\varphi (0,t)=C_0/C_B=\mathcal{C}/(\mathcal{C}+1)$ and $\varphi (h^{-},t)=1$. There is no finite interfacial latent heat jump in this limit: the latent heat is released continuously throughout the mushy layer. Matching the two temperature gradients givesThe printed final equation is missing the square on $\Omega$ in the exponential. The corrected exponent follows directly from differentiating $\mathrm{erf}(\Omega \eta )$ and is consistent with ${\Omega }^2=1+\mathcal{S}/\mathcal{C}$. The positive root is unique: the mush-side gradient decreases from infinity to zero with $\lambda$, whereas ${\theta }_{\infty }K(\lambda )$ increases. The zero-superheat limit is singular and is not described by a finite positive $\lambda$ in this two-region construction.

Choose the positive $x$ direction along the background flow, so $U>0$; reverse $x$ if necessary. Let $z$ measure depth below the impermeable roof, and set $\Delta \rho ={\rho }_w-{\rho }_c>0$. The deep ambient water has $p_w=p_0(x)+{\rho }_{w}gz$. Continuity of pressure at $z=h$ and hydrostatic pressure inside the buoyant CO2 giveHere $k$ is permeability of a porous medium and $\mu$ is dynamic viscosity. Since $h/H\ll 1$, the ambient return-flow correction to the imposed pressure gradient is higher order. The small aspect ratio supplies the hydrostatic pressure approximation; capillary trapping, dissolution, compressibility and dispersion are omitted in this sharp-interface model.

The depth-integrated Darcy flux is $q=Uh-K_{b}h{h}_x$. The actual stored fluid volume is $\varphi h$ per unit horizontal area, where $\varphi$ is the aquifer porosity. Thus the porous gravity current with background flow satisfieswith $u=U/\varphi$, $a=K_b/\varphi$ and $J=Q/\varphi$. Both $Q$ and the later $V$ denote actual injected volume per unit transverse width. Away from injection, the equation is an advected porous medium equation. At each finite front impose $h=0$ and vanishing outgoing volume flux per unit width. At the injection point $h$ is continuous and $q(0^{+})-q(0^{-})=Q$. For an initially empty aquifer, $\varphi \int hdx=Qt$. The advective speed is $U/\varphi$, not $U$.

For a constant-flux porous gravity current, write characteristic depth $H_c$ and extent $L_c$ temporarily. At early times volume conservation gives $H_c{L}_c\sim Jt$; gravity spreading gives $L_c^2/t\sim a{H}_c$. HenceBackground advection becomes comparable when $L_c\sim ut$, so the transition scales areFor $t\ll t_c$, the leading similarity solution is symmetric:For $0<\eta <{\eta }_N$, its model ordinary differential equation and boundary conditions areChoose the nonnegative finite-front branch, reflect evenly in $x$, and require $F{F}^{\prime }\to 0$ at the front. The factor $1/2$ divides the injection equally between the two halves. Integration of the ordinary differential equation gives $2{\int }_0^{{\eta }_N}Fd\eta =1$; the limiting front slope is $F^{\prime }({\eta }_N^{-})=-2{\eta }_N/3$. This boundary-value problem determines the initially symmetric shape without assuming an unjustified elementary formula. Independent numerical integration gives ${\eta }_N\simeq 1.17619$ in this normalization.

For $t\gg t_c$, upstream storage approaches a finite steady value. With no upstream leakage, $q=0$ for $x<0$, giving $h_x=U/K_b$ wherever $h>0$. Downstream the uniform interior carries $q=Q$, soThe upstream volume flux vanishes even though local Darcy velocity contributions from background flow and buoyancy cancel. The upstream stored volume is $\varphi h_{\mathrm{int}}|x_{-}|/2$, a finite constant. The downstream plateau therefore extends a distance $ut+O({\ell }_c)$, and its front advances at $u$ to leading order.

The diffusive nose of an advected porous gravity current has widthIn a frame translating at $u$, balance the time derivative against the nonlinear gravity diffusion. With $\eta =(x-x_c(t))/\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$ and $x_c(t)=ut+O({\ell }_c)$, the leading transition is $h=h_{\mathrm{int}}F(\eta )$, withIts finite front has $F\sim ({\eta }_N/2)({\eta }_N-\eta )$ as $\eta \uparrow {\eta }_N$. Independent numerical integration of this boundary-value problem gives ${\eta }_N\simeq 1.23849$, so a more accurate leading nose position is $x_N\simeq x_c+1.23849\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$ and its local shape is $F\simeq 0.619247(1.23849-\eta )$. The entire transition has no elementary closed form. A useful explicit, approximate shape is the volume-preserving linear rampThis gives $x_N\simeq x_c+\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$. Its ramp width is $2\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$, and its edge obeys the exact kinematic boundary condition ${\dot{x}}_N=u-a{h}_x(x_N^{-},t)$ to the displayed order. It also has the same area as a sharp step at $x_c$. This is an approximate ramp closure, not an exact solution of the nonlinear nose ordinary differential equation. A constant phase shift $x_c=ut-|x_{-}|/2$ balances the finite upstream storage within this ramp approximation; the full solution's subleading matching may alter constant offsets.

For a rapid injection of total volume $V$, remove the source for $t>0$ and introduce $\xi =x-ut$. The advected constant-volume porous gravity current obeys $h_t=a(h{h}_{\xi }{)}_{\xi }$ and $\int hd\xi =M=V/\varphi$. A similarity solution has depth proportional to $t^{-1/3}$ and radius proportional to $t^{1/3}$. Direct substitution gives the compactly supported Barenblatt solutionIndeed ${\int }_{-R}^R(R^2-{\xi }^2)/(6at)d\xi =2R^3/(9at)=V/\varphi$. Its centre translates at the pore speed $u$, its two edges are $ut\pm R(t)$, and its maximum depth decays as $t^{-1/3}$. The expression is exact for a point release within this reduced model; finite-width initial data approach this similarity solution at late times. If $U=0$, the constant-rate current remains in the symmetric spreading regime and the constant-volume solution has a stationary centre.

A shallow buoyant porous gravity current in a deep aquifer with uniform imposed Darcy velocity $U$ obeys $\varphi h_t+(Uh-K_{b}h{h}_x{)}_x=0$ away from sources, where $K_b=k\Delta \rho g/\mu$. Here $k$ is permeability of a porous medium, $\varphi$ is porosity, and $\mu$ is dynamic viscosity. The pore-fluid drift speed is $u=U/\varphi$, and the gravity diffusion coefficient multiplying $(h{h}_x{)}_x$ is $a=K_b/\varphi$. The sharp-interface model neglects capillary trapping and dissolution.

A stagnant mushy-layer model has no bulk advection, equal phase mass densities, pure solid, and local equilibrium on the liquidus. With liquid fraction $\varphi$, specific enthalpy $E=c_{p}T+L\varphi$ and bulk solute concentration $B=\varphi C$, neglecting solute diffusion inside the mushy layer gives $T_t+(L/c_p){\varphi }_t=\kappa T_{zz}$ and $(\varphi C{)}_t=0$. The latter fixes composition at each stationary material level; it does not automatically set every level to the initial liquid concentration when solute can diffuse ahead of the growing mush.