Green's function method and its application to verification of diffusion models of GASFLOW code

Abstract

To validate the diffusion model and the aerosol particle model of the GASFLOW computer code, theoretical solutions of advection diffusion problems are developed by using the Green's function method. The work consists of a theory part and an application part. In the first part, the Green's functions of one-dimensional advection diffusion problems are solved in infinite, semi-infinite and finite domains with the Dirichlet, the Neumann and/or the Robin boundary conditions. Novel and effective image systems especially for the advection diffusion problems are made to find the Green's functions in a semi-infinite domain. Eigenfunction method is utilized to find the Green's functions in a bounded domain. In the case, key steps of a coordinate transform based on a concept of reversed time scale, a Laplace transform and an exponential transform are proposed to solve the Green's functions. Then the product rule of the multi-dimensional Green's functions is discussed in a Cartesian coordinate system. Based on the building blocks of one-dimensional Green's functions, the multi-dimensional Green's function solution can be constructed by applying the product rule. Green's function tables are summarized to facilitate the application of the Green's function. In the second part, the obtained Green's function solutions benchmark a series of validations to the diffusion model of gas species in continuous phase and the diffusion model of discrete aerosol particles in the GASFLOW code. Perfect agreements are obtained between the GASFLOW simulations and the Green's function solutions in case of the gas diffusion. Very good consistencies are found between the theoretical solutions of the advection diffusion equations and the numerical particle distributions in advective flows, when the drag force between the micron-sized particles and the conveying gas flow meets the Stokes' law about resistance. This situation is corresponding to a very small Reynolds number based on the particle diameter, with a negligible inertia effect of the particles. It is concluded that, both the gas diffusion model and the discrete particle diffusion model of GASFLOW can reproduce numerically the corresponding physics successfully. The Green's function tables containing the building blocks for multi-dimensional problems is hopefully able to facilitate the application of the Green's function method to the future work.