Flow invariance for nonlinear accretive evolutions under range conditions (Q2485921)

The author establishes the existence of mild solutions of a constrained evolution system of the form \(u'+Au\ni f(t,u)\), where the perturbation \(f:J\times K\to X\) is a Carathéodory function, \(A\) is a (nonlinear) accretive operator, \(J=[0,T]\), \(T>0\), and \(K\) is a closed subset of a Banach space \(X\), looking at the case when \(A\) is not necessarily \(m\)-accretive but satisfies weaker conditions, such as the so-called range condition or the weak range condition. This sort of conditions are satisfied in numerous problems that arise in concrete applications described in the paper. In order to treat the flow invariance with respect to the constraining set \(K\), the perturbation \(f\) is subject to a certain natural subtangential condition that reduces to the well-known Nagumo condition if \(A=0\) being also necessary for the viability (or flow invariance). The arguments used throughout the paper involve very delicate approximating procedures under the additional assumption that the semigroup generated by \(-A\) is compact when restricted to \(K\). Some interesting applications to problems arising in chemical engineering concerned with the so-called core-shell or shrinking-core behavior in some gas-solid or liquid-solid reaction-diffusion systems are precisely explained and discussed.