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Solutions To The Diffusion Equation

The document discusses various solutions to the diffusion equation including steady-state and time-dependent solutions. It describes solutions for one-dimensional diffusion through a flat plate and cylindrical shell as well as the error function solution. It also covers superposition of solutions, the thin-film solution, and separation of variables solutions for finite geometries.

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Yasir Ali
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
145 views

Solutions To The Diffusion Equation

The document discusses various solutions to the diffusion equation including steady-state and time-dependent solutions. It describes solutions for one-dimensional diffusion through a flat plate and cylindrical shell as well as the error function solution. It also covers superposition of solutions, the thin-film solution, and separation of variables solutions for finite geometries.

Uploaded by

Yasir Ali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 18

Solutions to the

Diffusion Equation

3.205 L3 11/2/06

Solutions to Ficks Laws


Ficks second law, isotropic one-dimensional

diffusion, D independent of concentration

"c
"2 c
=D 2
"t
"x

Figure removed due to copyright restrictions.


See Figure 4.1 in Balluffi, Robert W., Samuel M. Allen, and W. Craig Carter.
Kinetics of Materials. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2005. ISBN: 0471246891.

Linear PDE; solution requires one initial

!
condition and two boundary conditions.

3.205 L3 11/2/06

Steady-State Diffusion

When the concentration field is independent of


time and D is independent of c, Ficks second
law is reduced to Laplaces equation, "2 c = 0
For simple geometries, such as permeation
!
through a thin membrane, Laplaces
equation can
be solved by integration.

3.205 L3 11/2/06


(a)

Examples of steady-state profiles

Diffusion through a flat plate


Figure removed due to copyright restrictions.
See Figure 5.1 in Balluffi, Robert W., Samuel M. Allen, and W. Craig Carter.
Kinetics of Materials. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2005. ISBN: 0471246891.

(b)

Diffusion through a cylindrical shell

Figure removed due to copyright restrictions.


See Figure 5.2 in Balluffi, Robert W., Samuel M. Allen, and W. Craig Carter.
Kinetics of Materials. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2005. ISBN: 0471246891.

3.205 L3 11/2/06

Error function solution


Interdiffusion in two semi-infinite bodies

Figure removed due to copyright restrictions.


See Figure 4.2 in Balluffi, Robert W., Samuel M. Allen, and W. Craig Carter.
Kinetics of Materials. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2005. ISBN: 0471246891.

Solution can be obtained by a scaling method


that involves a single variable, " # x 4Dt
# x &
)c # x &
c(") = c%
( = c + erf %
(
$ 4Dt '
$ 4Dt '
! 2
3.205 L3 11/2/06

erf (x) is known as the error function and is


2 x $% 2
defined by
erf x "
e d%
( )

&
# 0

An example:
c( x < 0, 0!
) = 0;c( x > 0, 0) = 1;c("#,t ) = 0; c(#,t ) = 1; D = 10"16

t = 102, 103, 104, 105


!

Application to
problems with
fixed c at surface
3.205 L3 11/2/06

Movie showing time dependence of erf solution

3.205 L3 11/2/06

Superposition of solutions

When the diffusion equation is linear, sums of


solutions are also solutions. Here is an example
that uses superposition of error-function solutions:
Figure removed due to copyright restrictions.
See Figure 4.4 in Balluffi, Robert W., Samuel M. Allen, and W. Craig Carter.
Kinetics of Materials. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2005. ISBN: 0471246891.

Two step functions, properly positioned, can be


summed to give a solution for finite layer placed
between two semi-infinite bodies.
3.205 L3 11/2/06

Superposed error functions, contd

The two step functions (moved left/right by x/2):

# x + "x 2 &,
c0 )
cleft = +1+ erf %
(.
$ 4Dt '2*
# x / "x 2 &,
c0 )
cright = / +1+ erf %
(.
$ 4Dt '2*

and their sum

3.205 L3 11/2/06

clayer

# x ) "x 2 &c0 * # x + "x 2 &


= ,erf %
( ) erf %
(/
$ 4 Dt '.
2 + $ 4Dt '
9

Superposed error functions, contd


An example:

c("#,t ) = 0; c(#,t ) = 0; c( x $ "%x / 2, 0) = 0;c("%x / 2 < x < %x / 2) = 1;


c( x & %x / 2, 0) = 0;%x = 2 '10"6 ; D = 10"16

t = 101, 103, 104, 105


Application to
problems with
zero-flux plane

at surface x = 0

3.205 L3 11/2/06

10

Movie showing time dependence of superimposed


erf solutions

3.205 L3 11/2/06

11

The thin-film solution


The thin-film solution can be obtained from the


previous example by looking at the case where x
is very small compared to the diffusion distance,
x, and the thin film is initially located at x = 0:
N
# x 2 ( 4 Dt )
c( x,t ) =
e
4 "Dt

where N is the number of source atoms per unit


!
area initially
placed at x = 0.
3.205 L3 11/2/06

12

Diffusion in finite geometries


Time-dependent diffusion in finite bodies can


soften be solved using the separation of variables
technique, which in cartesian coordinates leads to
trigonometric-series solutions.
A solution of the form
c( x, y, z,t ) = X ( x) "Y ( y) " Z ( z) " T (t )

is sought.

!
3.205 L3 11/2/06

13

Substitution into Ficks second law gives two


ordinary-differential equations for onedimensional diffusion:
dT
= "#DT
dt
d2X
= "#X
2
dx

where is a constant determined from the


boundary conditions.
!

3.205 L3 11/2/06

14

Example: degassing a thin plate in a vacuum

c(0 < x < L, 0) = c0 ; c(0,t ) = c( L,t ) = 0

The function X(x) turns out to be the Fourier series


representation of the initial conditionin this
!
case, it is a Fourier sine-series representation of a
constant, c0:
)
&
#
x
Xn ( x) = * an sin%n" (
$ L'
n=1

with
!

3.205 L3 11/2/06

2c0
an =
L

$ #'
* sin&%n" L )( d#
0

15

degassing a thin plate, contd


The function T(t) must have the form:
2 2
'
$
n
#

Tn (t ) = Tn exp&" 2 Dt )
% L
(

and thus the solution is given by KoM Eq. 5.47:

4c0
!
c( x,t ) =
"

2
* 1
#
x & # (2 j +1) " 2 &1,, 2 j +1 sin%$(2 j +1)" L (' exp%) L2 Dt (//
$
'.
j=0+
0

!
3.205 L3 11/2/06

16

degassing a thin plate, contd


Example:

c(0,t ) = 0; c( L,t ) = 0; c(0 < x < L, 0) = 1


L = 10"5 ; D = 10"16

3.205 L3 11/2/06

17

Other useful solution methods

Estimation of diffusion distance from x " 4Dt


Superposition of point-source solutions to get
solutions for arbitrary initial conditions c(x,0)
!
Method of Laplace transforms
Useful for constant-flux boundary conditions,
time-dependent boundary conditions
Numerical methods
Useful for complex geometries, D = D(c), timedependent boundary conditions, etc.
3.205 L3 11/2/06

18

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