Industrial Mathematics Case Studies in the Diffusion of Heat and Matter Australian Mathematical Society Lecture Series

The focus in this text is on mathematical modelling stimulated by contemporary industrial problems involving heat conduction and mass diffusion. These include continuous metal casting, laser drilling, spontaneous combustion of industrial waste, water filtration and crop irrigation. The industrial problems prove to be an excellent setting for the introduction and reinforcement of modelling skills, equation solving techniques, qualitative understanding of partial differential equations and their dynamical properties. Mathematical topics include setting up partial differential equations and boundary conditions, dimensional analysis, scaling, perturbation expansions, boundary value problems, Fourier series, symmetry reductions, Stefan problems and bifurcations. For students of mathematics, engineering, or any other related discipline, this will be a great introduction to modelling the real world.

1. Preliminaries; 2. Case study: continuous casting; 3. Case study: water filtration; 4. Case study: laser drilling; 5. Case study: factory fires; 6. Case study: irrigation; 7. Conclusions.