Models and Numerical Methods for Electrolyte Flows

Abstract

Liquid electrolytes are fluidic mixtures containing electrically charged ions. Electrochemical energy conversion systems like fuel cells and batteries contain liquid electrolytes. In biological tissues, nanoscale pores in the cell membranes separate different types of ions inside the cell from those in the intercellular space. Nanopores between electrolyte reservoirs can be used for analytical applications in medicine. Water purification technologies like electrodialysis rely on the electrolytic flow properties. This short and by far not exhaustive list of occurrences of electrolytic flow processes shows the importance of correct modeling of electrolyte flows. Due to the complex physical interactions present in this type of flows, in many case numerical simulation techniques are required to facilitate a deeper understanding of the flow behavior..