Numerical analysis of locally conservative weak Galerkin dual-mixed finite element method for the time-dependent Poisson–Nernst–Planck system

Abstract

In this study, a linearized locally conservative scheme, based on using a weak Galerkin (WG)-mixed finite element method (MFEM), is developed for the Poisson–Nernst–Planck (PNP) system. In the dual-mixed formulation of the PNP equation, in addition to the three unknowns of concentrations p, n and the potential ψ, their fluxes, namely, σp=∇p+pσψ and σn=∇n−nσψ and σψ=∇ψ are introduced. These fluxes have an essential role in specifying the Debye layer and computing the electric current. The WG-MFEM considered here uses discontinuous functions to construct the approximation space. Also, a linearization scheme is employed to treat nonlinear terms. In the proposed method, the important physical laws of mass conservation and free energy dissipation are preserved without any restriction on the time step. Error estimates are developed and analyzed for both semi- and fully discrete WG-MFEM schemes. Furthermore, optimal error estimates (under adequate regularity assumptions on the solution) are derived. Several numerical results are provided and they demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method and validate the convergence theorems.