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Dissolution of a vertical solid surface by turbulent compositional convection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2015

Ross C. Kerr  and
Craig D. McConnochie
Ross C. Kerr*
Affiliation:
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Craig D. McConnochie
Affiliation:
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
*
†Email address for correspondence: [email protected]
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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–$6\,^{\circ }\text{C}$, 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.

JFM classification

Phase change: Phase change Phase change: Solidification/melting Turbulent Flows: Turbulent convection
Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 765 , 25 February 2015 , pp. 211 - 228
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Copyright
© 2015 Cambridge University Press 

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