Error Estimators for the Small-Biot Lumped Approximation for the Conduction Dunking Problem

TL;DR

This paper develops and validates asymptotic error estimators for small Biot number heat conduction problems, improving the accuracy of lumped models through rigorous bounds and sensitivity analysis.

Contribution

It introduces first- and second-order asymptotic approximations and error estimates for the small-Biot number conduction problem, including a novel functional output for error assessment.

Findings

Error estimates are validated by numerical solutions.

Second-order approximation improves accuracy over lumped model.

Functional output φ characterizes domain-dependent error behavior.

Abstract

We consider the dunking problem: a solid body at uniform temperature $T_{\text i}$ is placed in a environment characterized by farfield temperature $T_\infty$ and spatially uniform time-independent heat transfer coefficient. We permit heterogeneous material composition: spatially dependent density, specific heat, and thermal conductivity. Mathematically, the problem is described by a heat equation with Robin boundary conditions. The crucial parameter is the Biot number -- a nondimensional heat transfer (Robin) coefficient; we consider the limit of small Biot number. We introduce first-order and second-order asymptotic approximations (in Biot number) for several quantities of interest, notably the spatial domain average temperature as a function of time; the first-order approximation is simply the standard engineering `lumped' model. We then provide asymptotic error estimates for the first-order and second-order approximations for small Biot number, and also, for the first-order approximation, alternative strict bounds valid for all Biot number. Companion numerical solutions of the heat equation confirm the effectiveness of the error estimates for small Biot number. The second-order approximation and the first-order and second-order error estimates depend on several functional outputs associated to an elliptic partial differential equation; the latter is derived from Biot-sensitivity analysis of the heat equation eigenproblem in the limit of small Biot number. Most important is $\phi$, the only functional output required for the first-order error estimates; $\phi$ admits a simple physical interpretation in terms of conduction length scale. We investigate the domain and property dependence of $\phi$: most notably, we characterize spatial domains for which the standard lumped-model error criterion -- Biot number (based on volume-to-area length scale) small -- is deficient.