The main features of a numerical model for the prediction of ion drift in electrolytic solutions were presented. The ionic diffusion mechanisms were described by solving the Nernst-Planck system of equations. Electrical coupling between the various ionic fluxes was accounted for by using the Poisson equation. Two algorithms, which used the finite element method for spatial discretization, were compared for simple test cases. One was based upon the Picard iteration method, while the other was based upon the Newton-Raphson scheme. The test results clearly indicated that the range of application was broader for the algorithm which was based upon the Newton-Raphson method.

Modelling Ion Diffusion Mechanisms in Porous Media. E.Samson, J.Marchand, J.L.Robert, J.P.Bournazel: International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 1999, 46[12], 2043-60