PNNL

Abstract

Three-dimensional models of atmospheric inorganic aerosols need an accurate yet computationally efficient thermodynamic module that is repeatedly used to compute internal aerosol phase state equilibrium. In this paper, we describe the development and evaluation of a computationally efficient numerical solver called MESA (Multicomponent Equilibrium Solver for Aerosols). The unique formulation of MESA allows iteration of all the equilibrium equations simultaneously while maintaining overall mass conservation and electroneutrality in both the solid and liquid phases. MESA is unconditionally stable, shows robust convergence, and typically requires only 10 to 20 single-level iterations (where all activity coefficients and aerosol water content are updated) per internal aerosol phase equilibrium calculation. Accuracy of MESA is comparable to that of the highly accurate Aerosol Inorganics Model (AIM), which uses a rigorous Gibbs free energy minimization approach. Performance evaluation will be presented for a number of complex multicomponent mixtures commonly found in urban and marine tropospheric aerosols.