Analytical and numerical investigation of mixed-type functional differential equations

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of computational and applied mathematics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of computational and applied mathematics, 234 (2010), doi: 10.1016/j.cam.2010.01.028This journal article is concerned with the approximate solution of a linear non-autonomous functional differential equation, with both advanced and delayed arguments

The numerical solution of forward–backward differential equations: Decomposition and related issues

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of computational and applied mathematics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of computational and applied mathematics, 234,(2010), doi: 10.1016/j.cam.2010.01.039This journal article discusses the decomposition, by numerical methods, of solutions to mixed-type functional differential equations (MFDEs) into sums of “forward” solutions and “backward” solutions

Transition from Townsend to glow discharge: subcritical, mixed or supercritical

The full parameter space of the transition from Townsend to glow discharge is investigated numerically in one space dimension in the classical model: with electrons and positive ions drifting in the local electric field, impact ionization by electrons ($\alpha$ process), secondary electron emission from the cathode ($\gamma$ process) and space charge effects. We also perform a systematic analytical small current expansion about the Townsend limit up to third order in the total current that fits our numerical data very well. Depending on $\gamma$ and system size pd, the transition from Townsend to glow discharge can show the textbook subcritical behavior, but for smaller values of pd, we also find supercritical or some intermediate ``mixed'' behavior. The analysis in particular lays the basis for understanding the complex spatio-temporal patterns in planar barrier discharge systems.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Kinetic Intersections as a Source of Information on Rate Coefficients

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Challenges and progress on the modelling of entropy generation in porous media: a review

Depending upon the ultimate design, the use of porous media in thermal and chemical systems can provide significant operational advantages, including helping to maintain a uniform temperature distribution, increasing the heat transfer rate, controlling reaction rates, and improving heat flux absorption. For this reason, numerous experimental and numerical investigations have been performed on thermal and chemical systems that utilize various types of porous materials. Recently, previous thermal analyses of porous materials embedded in channels or cavities have been re-evaluated using a local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) modelling technique. Consequently, the second law analyses of these systems using the LTNE method have been a point of focus in a number of more recent investigations. This has resulted in a series of investigations in various porous systems, and comparisons of the results obtained from traditional local thermal equilibrium (LTE) and the more recent LTNE modelling approach. Moreover, the rapid development and deployment of micro-manufacturing techniques have resulted in an increase in manufacturing flexibility that has made the use of these materials much easier for many micro-thermal and chemical system applications, including emerging energy-related fields such as micro-reactors, micro-combustors, solar thermal collectors and many others. The result is a renewed interest in the thermal performance and the exergetic analysis of these porous thermochemical systems. This current investigation reviews the recent developments of the second law investigations and analyses in thermal and chemical problems in porous media. The effects of various parameters on the entropy generation in these systems are discussed, with particular attention given to the influence of local thermodynamic equilibrium and non-equilibrium upon the second law performance of these systems. This discussion is then followed by a review of the mathematical methods that have been used for simulations. Finally, conclusions and recommendations regarding the unexplored systems and the areas in the greatest need of further investigations are summarized

Complex oscillations in the delayed Fitzhugh-Nagumo equation

Motivated by the dynamics of neuronal responses, we analyze the dynamics of the Fitzhugh-Nagumo slow-fast system with delayed self-coupling. This system provides a canonical example of a canard explosion for sufficiently small delays. Beyond this regime, delays significantly enrich the dynamics, leading to mixed-mode oscillations, bursting and chaos. These behaviors emerge from a delay-induced subcritical Bogdanov-Takens instability arising at the fold points of the S-shaped critical manifold. Underlying the transition from canard-induced to delay-induced dynamics is an abrupt switch in the nature of the Hopf bifurcation

On the hydrodynamics and heat convection of an impinging external flow upon a cylinder with transpiration and embedded in a porous medium

This paper extends the existing studies of heat convection by an external flow impinging upon a flat porous insert to that on a circular cylinder inside a porous medium. The surface of the cylinder is subject to constant temperature and can include uniform or non-uniform transpiration. These cylindrical configurations are introduced in the analyses of stagnation point flows in porous media for the first time. The equations governing steady transport of momentum and thermal energy in porous media are reduced to simpler nonlinear differential equations and subsequently solved numerically. This reveals the dimensionless velocity and temperature fields of the stagnation-point flow, as well as the Nusselt number and shear stress on the surface of the cylinder. The results show that transpiration on the surface of the cylinder and Reynolds number of the external flow dominate the fluid dynamics and heat transfer problems. In particular, non-uniform transpiration is shown to significantly affect the thermal and hydrodynamic responses of the system in the circumferential direction. However, the permeability and porosity of the porous medium are found to have relatively smaller influences