Date:
Modeling & Simulation in Chem Eng
Assignment-3
Partial Differential Equations
Pushkar Shukla(2022A1PS0841P)
BITS Pilani Supervisor : Prof. Jay Pandey
Pilani Campus Department of Chemical Engineering
Problem Statement
Find the temperature distribution in a long, thick-walled pipe with inner and outside radii a and b,
respectively, by using the three types of boundary conditions.. Conditions for establishing the
mathematical expressions for these boundary conditions with hot steam inside the pipe and cool
surrounding air outside the pipe are indicated in the figure below.
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Equations
We may select the relevant terms from the heat conduction equation
derived for the cylindrical polar coordinate system expressed as follows:
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Matlab Code
% Parameters
a = 0.05; % Inner radius (m)
function res = solve_bvp_ode45(a, b, Ts, Tb,
b = 0.15; % Outer radius (m)
Ts = 500; % Inner surface temperature (K) dTdr0, odefun)
Tb = 300; % Outer surface temperature (K) % Solve IVP with initial guess for dT/dr
N = 50; % Number of nodes sol = ode45(odefun, [a b], [Ts; dTdr0]);
% Define the ODE system: y(1) = T, y(2) = dT/dr T_end = deval(sol, b);
odefun = @(r, y) [y(2); -y(2)/r];
res = T_end(1) - Tb; % Difference from
% Define the residual function to satisfy boundary condition at r = b
residual = @(dTdr0) ... required outer boundary temp
solve_bvp_ode45(a, b, Ts, Tb, dTdr0, odefun); end
% Use fzero to find the correct initial derivative dT/dr at r = a
dTdr0_guess = -1000; % Initial guess
dTdr0 = fzero(residual, dTdr0_guess);
% Solve the system with correct initial slope
rspan = linspace(a, b, N);
sol = ode45(odefun, [a b], [Ts; dTdr0]);
% Evaluate solution at the 50 node points
T_r = deval(sol, rspan);
% Plot the result
figure;
plot(rspan, T_r(1, :), 'o-', 'LineWidth', 1.8);
xlabel('Radius r (m)');
ylabel('Temperature T (K)');
title('Temperature Distribution in Pipe Wall (ode45, 50 nodes)'
);
grid on;
:
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Result & Discussion
The temperature distribution across the pipe wall was successfully
computed using MATLAB's ode45 solver with 50 evenly spaced nodes.
Prescribed boundary temperatures of 500 K at the inner radius and 300 K
at the outer radius were enforced using the shooting method. The initial
slope of the temperature profile was iteratively refined using fzero to
ensure accurate satisfaction of the outer boundary condition.
The resulting profile showed a smooth, monotonic decrease in
temperature from the hot inner surface to the cooler outer surface. The
shape of the curve followed the expected logarithmic behavior typical of
steady-state radial conduction in cylindrical systems, confirming alignment
with the analytical solution T(r)=c1ln(r)+c2T(r) = c_1 \ln(r) +
c_2T(r)=c1ln(r)+c2.
The solution was numerically stable, with no signs of oscillations or
divergence, and the 50-node resolution proved sufficient for capturing the
thermal gradient with high accuracy. Overall, the method effectively
models heat conduction through cylindrical pipe walls and can be
extended to more complex boundary conditions if needed.
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Conclusion & Key Outcomes
Key Outcomes:
Temperature Profile Obtained:
The temperature 𝑇(𝑟)
T(r) decreases smoothly from the inner surface (hot steam at 500 K) to the outer surface (cool air at 300 K).
The solution accurately captures the radial heat conduction behavior in cylindrical coordinates.
Numerical Method Used:
The shooting method combined with MATLAB’s ode45 solver was used.
Boundary conditions were of the Dirichlet type (temperatures prescribed at both ends).
fzero was employed to iteratively adjust the initial slope to match the outer boundary condition.
Conclusion :
Radial Temperature Gradient:
A significant radial temperature gradient exists due to the high difference between inner and outer surface temperatures.
The temperature drops non-linearly due to the cylindrical geometry (as expected from the solution to Laplace’s equation in cylindrical
coordinates).
ODE-Based Approach Validated:
The use of ode45 with the shooting method effectively solves 2nd-order boundary value problems, even for cylindrical heat conduction.
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Thank
You
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