Direct Numerical Simulation of an electrolyte deposition under a turbulent flow – A first approach

Coupling between turbulence, chemical mass transport of a reacting salt and electrochemical transformations at the wall are considered in this paper. This first approach deals with the whole coupled problem wherein the effect of the electrical potential field is assumed to be negligible. Direct Numerical Simulations are performed in a fully developed turbulent channel flow wherein the Karman number is Reτ = 180 and the Schmidt number is 1. The direct simulations that are free of closure schemes allow us to conveniently access to the physics of this complex transport phenomenon. Detailed statistics of the concentration and the flow fields are reported here. We show in particular that, as the ratio of the exchange current density to the salt diffusivity is modified, the concentration field evolves between two asymptotic cases governed either by Neumann or Dirichlet boundary conditions.

► DNS provide pure numerical solutions of mathematical equations.
► The mean relative concentration is not affected by the Thiele modulus κ0.
► The fluctuating concentration field is strongly dependent on κ0.
► The turbulent concentration activity varies between two asymptotic states.