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Lab 10 2

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8 views2 pages

Lab 10 2

Uploaded by

ch22b030
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Problem Statement 2

Consider the one-dimensional diffusion equation:

∂C ∂2C
= = 0,
∂t ∂x2

t = 0, 0 < x < 1, C = 0,

t > 0, x = 0, C = 1,

t > 0, x = 1, C = 0.

Our objective is to determine the concentration distribution C(x, t) and plot


C(x) at various time points: t = 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Theory
The diffusion equation, which is mathematically similar to the heat equation,
models the spread of a substance over time within a domain. In this problem,
C(x, t) represents the concentration of the substance at position x and time t.
The equation is given by:

∂C ∂2C
= ,
∂t ∂x2
where the rate of change of concentration over time is related to the second
spatial derivative of concentration. This relationship assumes that the sub-
stance diffuses according to Fick’s law, which states that the diffusive flux is
proportional to the negative gradient of concentration.
Boundary and Initial Conditions To solve a partial differential equation like
the diffusion equation, we require boundary and initial conditions:
- **Initial Condition**: At t = 0, the concentration C(x, 0) = 0 for all
0 < x < 1, indicating that initially, there is no substance in the domain.
- **Boundary Conditions**: For t > 0: - At x = 0, C(0, t) = 1, meaning the
concentration at the left boundary is maintained at a constant value of 1. - At
x = 1, C(1, t) = 0, meaning the concentration at the right boundary is held at
zero.
These boundary conditions describe a scenario where a substance is intro-
duced at one end of the domain, while the other end is maintained at zero
concentration.
Steady-State Solution At steady-state, the concentration distribution no
longer changes over time, implying ∂C ∂t = 0. This reduces the diffusion equation
to an ordinary differential equation:

∂2C
= 0.
∂x2
The solution to this equation is a linear concentration profile, which, given
the boundary conditions, is found to be:

1
C(x) = 1 − x.
Time-Dependent Solution The time-dependent solution describes how the
concentration evolves from the initial state to the steady-state. Initially, the
concentration is zero throughout the domain except at the left boundary, where
it is set to 1. Over time, the concentration will increase within the domain as
the substance diffuses from the left boundary toward the right, approaching the
steady-state linear profile of C(x) = 1 − x.
Numerical Approach For problems like this, numerical methods, such as the
finite difference method (FDM), are often used to approximate the solution over
time. The finite difference method involves discretizing the spatial and tempo-
ral domains, applying difference approximations for derivatives, and iteratively
updating concentration values over each time step. Numerical methods are es-
pecially useful for studying the transient phase of the solution before it reaches
steady-state.

Conclusion
The diffusion equation with the specified initial and boundary conditions models
the spread of a substance within a confined one-dimensional domain. Initially,
the concentration profile changes over time, but it eventually stabilizes, ap-
proaching the steady-state distribution. This process highlights how diffusion
leads to a uniform gradient under constant boundary conditions.

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