Let measure height above the sponge. Under the long-wave approximation, hydrostatic pressure gives , and the horizontal balance for viscous fluid flow is
The no-slip boundary condition and stress-free boundary condition give
Integrating this lubrication theory profile gives the horizontal volume flux per unit span
Local mass conservation includes the downward loss found in part i:
Consequently the required nonlinear partial differential equation is
If the imposed inlet flux is and the moving front is , sufficient boundary conditions are
For a current released onto a dry substrate one also takes the initial condition away from the source. The front position is part of this moving-boundary problem.
Stefan problem Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
A Stefan problem is a moving-boundary problem in which a phase boundary moves as latent heat is released or absorbed. Temperature satisfies a heat equation in each phase and the Stefan condition supplies the interfacial energy balance.