Numerical study of evaporating sessile droplets and corrosion
Résumé
In France, some of nuclear wastes are packaged in stainless steel containers and stored in above-
ground storage facilities. These waste packages are likely to remain in interim storage for a period
of several decades before being moved to an underground facility for permanent disposal. During the
interim period of storage, atmospheric aerosols will deposit on the container surfaces, in particular
in marine atmosphere, where sprayed droplets are carried by the wind from the sea. The droplet
deposits on the exposed surface and becomes saline sessile droplet. This creates an electrolyte of
finite size that can react with the metallic surface, leading to an atmospheric corrosion phenomenon.
Moreover, the day/night cycles induce a variation of the relative humidity and the temperature: this
leads to a constant repetition of evaporation and condensation phases which can increase the corrosion
phenomena [1].
The aim of the study is to enrich and develop a numerical analysis of the corrosion under droplet, so
as to accurately predict its impact on the lifetime of the materials. We propose a numerical model
of evaporation dynamics of salty sessile drops, built with Basilisk, a free software which implements
finite volume methods for the Navier-Stokes equations [2]. Our numerical results will be validate with
litterature and experimental data.