35Q80 PDEs in connection with classical thermodynamics and heat transfer
We show the existence of solutions to a system of elliptic PDEs, that was recently introduced to describe the electrothermal behavior of organic semiconductor devices. Here, two diffculties appear: (i) the elliptic term in the current-flow equation is of p(x)-Laplacian type with discontinuous exponent p, which limits the use of standard methods, and (ii) in the heat equation, we have to deal with an a priori L1 term on the right hand side describing the Joule heating in the device. We prove the existence of a weak solution under very weak assumptions on the data. Our existence proof is based on Schauder’s fixed point theorem and the concept of entropy solutions for the heat equation. Here, the crucial point is the continuous dependence of the entropy solutions on the data of the problem.
Large-area organic light-emitting diodes are thin-film multilayer devices that show pronounced self-heating and brightness inhomogeneities at high currents. As these high currents are typical for lighting applications, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms causing these inhomogeneities is necessary. We discuss the modeling of the interplay between current flow, self-heating, and heat transfer in such devices using a system of partial differential equations of thermistor type, that is capable of explaining the development of luminance inhomogeneities. The system is based on the heat equation for the temperature coupled to a p(x)-Laplace-type equation for the electrostatic potential with mixed boundary conditions. The p(x)-Laplacian allows to take into account non-Ohmic electrical behavior of the different organic layers. Moreover, we present analytical results on the existence, boundedness, and regularity of solutions to the system. A numerical scheme based on the finite-volume method allows for efficient simulations of device structures.
We derive thermodynamically consistent models of reaction-diffusion equations
coupled to a heat equation. While the total energy is conserved, the total
entropy serves as a driving functional such that the full coupled system is a
gradient flow. The novelty of the approach is the Onsager structure, which is
the dual form of a gradient system, and the formulation in terms of the
densities and the internal energy. In these variables it is possible to assume
that the entropy density is strictly concave such that there is a unique
maximizer (thermodynamical equilibrium) given linear constraints on the total
energy and suitable density constraints.
We consider two particular systems of this type, namely, a
diffusion-reaction bipolar energy transport system, and a
drift-diffusion-reaction energy
transport system with confining potential. We prove corresponding
entropy-entropy production inequalities with explicitly calculable constants
and establish the convergence to thermodynamical equilibrium, at first in
entropy and further in $L^1$ using Cziszar-Kullback-Pinsker type inequalities.
We consider viscoelastic solids undergoing thermal expansion and exhibiting hysteresis effects due to plasticity or phase transformations. Within the framework of generalized standard solids, the problem is described in a 3D setting by the momentum equilibrium equation, the flow rule describing the dependence of the stress on the strain history, and the heat transfer equation. Under appropriate regularity assumptions on the data, a local existence result for this thermodynamically consistent system is established, by combining existence results for ordinary differential equations in Banach spaces with a fixed-point argument. Then global estimates are obtained by using both the classical energy estimate and more specific techniques for the heat equation introduced by Boccardo and Gallouet. Finally a global existence result is derived.
In large-area Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) spatially inhomogeneous luminance at high power due to inhomogeneous current flow and electrothermal feedback can be observed. To describe these self-heating effects in organic semiconductors we present a stationary thermistor model based on the heat equation for the temperature coupled to a p-Laplace-type equation for the electrostatic potential with mixed boundary conditions. The p-Laplacian describes the non-Ohmic electrical behavior of the organic material. Moreover, an Arrhenius-like temperature dependency of the electrical conductivity is considered.
We introduce a finite-volume scheme for the system and discuss its relation to recent network models for OLEDs. In two spatial dimensions we derive a priori estimates for the temperature and the electrostatic potential and prove the existence of a weak solution by Schauder's fixed point theorem.
We study a mathematical model for laser-induced thermotherapy,
a minimally invasive cancer treatment. The model consists of a
diffusion approximation of the radiation transport equation
coupled to a bio-heat equation and a model to describe the
evolution of the coagulated zone. Special emphasis is laid on
a refined model of the applicator device, accounting for the
effect of coolant flow inside. Comparisons between experiment
and simulations show that the model is able to predict the
experimentally achieved temperatures reasonably well.