Consideration of transient heat conduction in a semi-infinite medium using homotopy analysis method (Q1030344)

A transient heat conduction problem in a semi-infinite medium is examined. It is assumed that there is no energy generation in the medium. The density, heat capacity and thermal conductivity are taken independent of the temperature. An initial temperature is prescribed along with the temperatures at the boundaries. The problem is solved by the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM). The results are compared with the integral method and the exact solution. The results show that the HAM provides a better analytical approximation for transient heat conduction problems in a semi-infinite medium as compared to integral methods. The method provides greater flexibility in applications.