Modeling diffusion advection in the mass transfer of water vapor through martian regolith

Abstract

Diffusion advection is an effect in diffusive multicomponent mass transfer that occurs when the flux vectors of the individual components do not add up to zero. This can be a significant effect for the mass transfer of water vapor from subsurface ice or liquid reservoirs through porous regolith at martian temperatures and pressures. Ignoring diffusion advection and using Fick's law alone to calculate the flux under these conditions will result in an erroneously small value while using a measured flux to calculate a diffusivity will result in an erroneously high value. The inaccuracy in both cases increases with temperature. The literature contains several examples of erroneous treatment of this effect. The correct approach is well-known from other applications of mass transfer and takes diffusion advection into account in the appropriate amount regardless of the temperature and pressure and reduces to the simple Fick's law when conditions warrant. In this way, there is no need to decide under what conditions diffusion advection is or is not important. It can be used in the transition region to pure Knudsen diffusion in a fashion similar to that used with the more limited Fickian approach.