A domain decomposition/finite element method for the numerical simulation of electrolytic cells (Q1579606)

The authors discuss the heat transfer problem connected with the ``interior thin layer'' associated with the thermal modelling of an electrolytic cell. The problem is first discussed in an one-dimensional form and then in the more general form. It is shown that the obvious formulation of the problem does not have a solution and a modified formulation, which approximates the problem, is suggested. This involves adding a regularizing term on the boundary, which leads to a solvable problem. A numerical approximation using finite elements is suggested and domain decomposition techniques permit the use of incompatible meshes. The paper closes with a discussion of the results obtained for a typical cell and it is stated that the results agree with those obtained by using another method.