Dissolution of a vertical solid surface by turbulent compositional convection

Ross C. Kerr*, Craig D. McConnochie

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    50 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    We examine the dissolution of a vertical solid surface in the case where the heat and mass transfer is driven by turbulent compositional convection. A theoretical model of the turbulent dissolution of a vertical wall is developed, which builds on the scaling analysis presented by Kerr (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 280, 1994, pp. 287-302) for the turbulent dissolution of a horizontal floor or roof. The model has no free parameters and no dependence on height. The analysis is tested by comparing it with laboratory measurements of the ablation of a vertical ice wall in contact with salty water. The model is found to accurately predict the dissolution velocity for water temperatures up to approximately 5-6°C, where there is a transition from turbulent dissolution to turbulent melting. We quantify the turbulent convective dissolution of vertical ice bodies in the polar oceans, and compare our results with some field observations.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)211-228
    Number of pages18
    JournalJournal of Fluid Mechanics
    Volume765
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 25 Feb 2015

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