Mean Action Time For Diffusive Processes
by
Mark McGuinness
Victoria University of Wellington
Coauthors: Dr. K.A. Landman (University of Melbourne)

For a number of diffusive processes involving heat and mass transfer, a convenient and easy way to solve for penetration time or depth is to consider an averaged quantity called mean action time. This approach was originally developed by Alex McNabb, in collaboration with other researchers.

It is possible to solve for mean action time without actually solving the full diffusion problem, which may be nonlinear, and may have internal moving boundaries. Mean action time satisfies a linear Poisson equation, and only works for finite problems.

We review some nice properties of mean action time, and discuss several recent novel applications.

Date received: October 29, 1999

Copyright © 1999 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # cadl-25.