On a Petrov-Galerkin finite element method for evaporation of polydisperse aerosols

A Petrov-Galerkin finite element method is derived for evaporation of polydisperse aerosols. It is demonstrated that the method is accurate and computationally efficient. Together with an appropriate grid system and upwinding factor, this method can reduce spurious oscillations to a negligible level and provide reliable results for a wide range of initial size distributions and evaporation rates. Its performance is superior to the upwind differencing method and sectional method. It is also shown that analytical solutions are useful in a priori design of grid systems for simulations of realistic aerosol systems. Evaporative cooling is a significant factor in modeling evaporation of polydisperse volatile aerosols.