Abstract
We explore theoretically the controls on dissolution of salt A, in an undersaturated brine of salts A and B. We show that, as the concentration of B increases, the dissolution rate of A decreases, for brine of given temperature. We also show that there is a sharper decrease in dissolution rate with increasing concentration, for concentrations of B above a critical value, where B limits the equilibrium concentration. We explore the implications of the predictions for dissolution of KCl or NaCl, by a mixed brine of NaCl and KCl, a common reaction that may arise in dissolution of evaporites. We predict that, with mixed-composition brine, KCl crystals dissolve more rapidly than NaCl crystals, unless the (far-field) brine is nearly saturated in KCl. We also predict that the dissolution rate of these salts is largely independent of fluid temperature and is controlled by compositional diffusion.
DOI
10.1098/rspa.2007.1819
Publication Date
2007-05-01
Publication Title
Proc. R. Soc. A
Volume
463
Publisher
The Royal Society
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
1211
Last Page
1229
Recommended Citation
Hatton, D., & Woods, A. (2007) 'Compositional controls on melting and dissolving a salt into a ternary melt', Proc. R. Soc. A, 463, pp. 1211-1229. The Royal Society: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2007.1819
