Symmetry classification and exact solutions of the thermal diffusion equations (Q2577311)

The authors model the convective motion of a binary mixture in the Oberbeck-Boussinesq approximation. The density is modelled by a function linear in the temperature and one of the concentrations. The function is not motivated, but, as the variations in each are small, the model is not unreasonable. The system of equations is not in involution, but the differential consequences are, and this involutive system is analysed for its point symmetries. The authors verify that the symmetries obtained are symmetries of the original system. There is no attempt to find other symmetries although simple examples exist, e.g., \(y''= 0 \) and its derivative \(y''' = 0 \), for which additional symmetry is found in the lower-order equation. After this group classification some subproblems are studied. With a solution to the Navier-Stokes equations assumed, the symmetries of the diffusion and heat transfer equations for constant density are found. Next a closed-form solution of the Navier-Stokes equations is found by assuming a particular structure for the three components of the velocity. The Navier-Stokes equations reduce to an \(1+ 1 \) diffusion equation, an equation for an unnamed function and a formula for the pressure. An explicit (and unique) solution is found. This leads to the symmetries of the two equations. The method is quite neat. The next part of the model considered comprises the conditions of the interface. Again the algebra is studied in the case of constant density. In the last section closed-form solutions are studied for some specific motions in terms of the invariants of the appropriate symmetries. (For some strange reason these are called exact. One would assume a solution to be exact unless a statement to the contrary were made!)