Boundary layers asymptotic solutions

Remark There are many boundary value problems where solutions with boundary layer asymptotics exist when the A,(f) satisfy condition 3 of Section II.B. In that case, the boundary layer appears only in the vicinity of the point t = 0 (see [4], 13 for details). 

Levich (L3) obtained an asymptotic solution to Eq. (3-39) for Pe oo, using the thin concentration boundary layer assumption discussed in Chapter 1. Curvature of the boundary layer and angular diffusion are neglected (i.e., the last term in Eq. (3-39) is deleted), so that the solution does not hold at the rear of the sphere where the boundary layer thickens and angular diffusion is significant. The asymptotic boundary layer formula, Eq. (1-59), reduces for a sphere to ... 

The exact solution of the problem leads to the same expression with a proportionality constant between 3 and 5, depending on the definition of the thickness of the boundary layer. In the following sections, the preceding evaluation procedure is applied to a large number of problems, particularly to complex cases for which limiting solutions can be obtained. As already noted in the introduction, the terms in the transport equations will be replaced by their evaluating expressions multiplied by constants. The undetermined constants will then be determined from solutions available for some asymptotic cases. 

If one assumes that S/8h is independent of x, one arrives again at Eq. (58). If a particular form is chosen for the function F, as one proceeds in the method of polynomials, the calculation of the constants A, B, and E becomes possible. While in this particular problem one can follow a parallelism between the algebraic method and the method of polynomials, the same parallelism can no longer be identified in the other examples examined. It is worth emphasizing that the use of the boundary layer thickness concept in the algebraic method does not imply the existence of a similarity solution. In general, the algebraic method interpolates between the two similarity solutions which are valid in the two asymptotic cases. 

Expansions (5.3.16) are expected to give an asymptotic representation of the solution to (5.3.13)-(5.3.14) everywhere, except for a boundary layer of thickness y/e, adjacent to x = 1, where an inner solution of the form ... 

Thus summarizing, we note that at the leading order the asymptotic solution constructed is merely a combination of the locally electro-neutral solution for the bulk of the domain and of the equilibrium solution for the boundary layer, the latter being identical with that given by the equilibrium electric double layer theory (recall (1.32b)). We stress here the equilibrium structure of the boundary layer. The equilibrium within the boundary layer implies constancy of the electrochemical potential pp = lnp + ip across the boundary layer. We shall see in a moment that this feature is preserved at least up to order 0(e2) of present asymptotics as well. This clarifies the contents of the assumption of local equilibrium as applied in the locally electro-neutral descriptions. Recall that by this assumption the electrochemical potential is continuous at the surfaces of discontinuity of the electric potential and ionic concentrations, present in the locally electro-neutral formulations (see the Introduction and Chapters 3, 4). An implication of the relation between the LEN and the local equilibrium assumptions is that the breakdown of the former parallel to that of the corresponding asymptotic procedure, to be described in the following paragraphs, implies the breakdown of the local equilibrium. 

Solution to the nondimensional axisymmetric stagnation-flow problem is plotted in Fig. 6.3. Since the viscous boundary layer merges asymptotically into the inviscid potential flow, there is not a distinct edge of the boundary layer. By convention, the boundary-layer thickness is defined as the point at which the radial velocity comes to 99% of its potential-flow value. From Fig. 6.3 it is apparent that the boundary-layer thickness S is approximately z 2. In addition to the boundary-layer thickness, a displacement thickness can be defined. The displacement thickness is the distance that the potential-flow field appears to be displaced from the surface due to the viscous boundary layer. If there were no viscous boundary layer (i.e., the inviscid flow persisted right to the surface), then the axial velocity profile would have a constant slope du/dz = —2. As shown in Fig. 6.3, projecting the constant axial-velocity slope to the surface obtains an intercept of u = 0 at approximately z = 0.55. Since the inviscid flow would have to come to zero velocity at the surface, z = 0.55 is the distance that the potential flow is displaced due to the viscous boundary layer. Otherwise, the potential flow is unaltered by the boundary layer. 

Equations for each of the perturbation functions xu yh Xu Yl are derived by substituting the asymptotic expansions into the initial differential system, by matching terms with the same power in e, and finally by writing the proper initial and boundary layer conditions. The zeroth-order outer approximation is the solution to the system... 

With the initial values for ug, Eq. (10.30) may be solved for Uj+ij explicitly, usually by starting from the flat plate and working outward until Ujj+i/uj+i, = 1- e = 0.995 or some other predetermined value of e. Because of the asymptotic nature of the boundary layer condition, the location of the outer boundary is found as the solution proceeds. The values of Vj+ij can be computed from Eq. (10.31), starting at the point next to the lower boundary and computing upwards in the positive y direction. The stability criteria for this method are... 

Near the point where the two streams first meet the chemical reaction rate is small and a self-similar frozen-flow solution for Yp applies. This frozen solution has been used as the first term in a series expansion [62] or as the first approximation in an iterative approach [64]. An integral method also has been developed [62], in which ordinary differential equations are solved for the streamwise evolution of parameters that characterize profile shapes. The problem also is well suited for application of activation-energy asymptotics, as may be seen by analogy with [65]. The boundary-layer approximation fails in the downstream region of flame spreading unless the burning velocity is small compared with u it may also fail near the point where the temperature bulge develops because of the rapid onset of heat release there,... 

The analyses of Hunt, Liebovich and Richards, 1988 [287] and of Finnigan and Belcher, 2004 [189] divide the flow in the canopy and in the free boundary layer above into a series of layers with essentially different dynamics. The dominant terms in the momentum balance in each layer are determined by a scale analysis and the eventual solution to the flow held is achieved by asymptotically matching solutions for the flow in each layer. The model apphes in the limit that H/L 1. By adopting this limit, Hunt, Liebovich and Richards [287] were able to make the important simplification of calculating the leading order perturbation to the pressure held using potential how theory. This perturbation to the mean pressure, A p x, z), can then be taken to drive the leading order (i.e. 0(II/I.) ]) velocity and shear stress perturbations over the hill. 

Myoglobin, cytochrome-C, inulin, and vitamin B-12 were the solutes studied in saline, calf serum, and BSA systems at 37 C and pH 7.4. Observed solute rejections were corrected to intrinsic values by using uniform-wall-flux boundary layer theory for the developing and fully-developed asymptotic regions. The Splegler-Kedem equation ( ) for rejection versus volume flow was used to calculate reflection coefficients and diffusive permeabilities for each solute. There was no significant difference between rejection parameters measured in saline and protein solutions. 

In this chapter, we discuss general concepts about asymptotic methods and illustrate a number of different types of asymptotic methods by considering relatively simple transport or flow problems. We do this by first considering pulsatile flow in a circular tube, for which we have already obtained a formal exact solution in Chap. 3, and show that we can obtain useful information about the high- and low-frequency limits more easily and with more physical insight by using asymptotic methods. Included in this is the concept of a boundary layer in the high-frequency limit. We then go on to consider problems for which no exact solution is available. The problems are chosen to illustrate important physical ideas and also to allow different types of asymptotic methods to be introduced ... 

Introductory note Most transport and/or fluids problems are not amenable to analysis by classical methods for linear differential equations, either because the equations are nonlinear (or simply too comphcated in the case of the thermal energy equation, which is linear in temperature if natural convection effects can be neglected), or because the solution domain is complicated in shape (or in the case of problems involving a fluid interface having a shape that is a priori unknown). Analytic results can then be achieved only by means of approximations. One approach is to simply discretize the equations in some way and turn on the computer. Another is to use the family of approximations methods known as asymptotic approximations that lead to useful concepts such as boundary layers, etc. This course is about the latter approach. However, it is not just a... 

Let us now return to the solution of our problem for Rr 1. Although the arguments leading to (4-25) were complex, the resulting equation itself is simple compared with the original Bessel equation. Our objective here is an asymptotic approximation of the solution for the boundary-layer region. In general, we may expect an asymptotic expansion of the form... 

The constant A cannot be determined from the boundary condition at the wall but must be obtained from the matching requirement that (4-27) reduce to the form of the core solution (4-17) in the region of overlap between the boundary layer and the interior region. Now, any arbitrarily large, but finite, value of Y will fall within the boundary-layer domain on the other hand, the corresponding value of y can be made arbitrarily small in the asymptotic limit R0J - oo. Thus the condition of matching is often expressed in the form... 

In the boundary-layer region, we also seek a solution in the form of an asymptotic expansion ... 

Of course, the solution (4-181) is only the first approximation in the asymptotic series (4 175). In writing (4-177), we neglected certain smaller terms in the nondimensionalized equation, (4-170), because they were small compared with the terms that we kept. To obtain the governing equation for the second term in the boundary-layer region, we formally substitute the expansion, (4-175), into the governing equation, (4-170) ... 

Formally, we then seek an asymptotic solution in the boundary-layer region of the form... 

The main point here is that the solution procedure for this particular problem of a singular (or matched) asymptotic expansion follows a very generic routine. Given that there are two sub-domains in the solution domain, which overlap so that matching is possible (the sub-domains here are the core and the boundary-layer regions), the solution of a singular perturbation problem usually proceeds sequentially back and forth as we add higher order... 

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