- #1
capandbells
- 96
- 0
Homework Statement
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm trying to find the steady state solution to the heat equation for a system of spherical shells (looks like http://correlatingcancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nanoshell-thumb.jpg" ) where heat generation Q occurs in the outer shell (so I have two Laplace equations for the inner sphere and the medium outside the system and a Poisson equation for the outer shell). The system is also spherically symmetric, so the equations are just in the radial variable.
I know the solution for the Laplace equation in this case is T(r) = A + B/r and I believe that in the case of the inner region, B must be zero since the solution has to be finite at the origin. This means the solution is a constant. However, if the solution is constant, then the boundary condition on the heat conduction at the inner radius can't hold, since dT/dr = 0. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong here. Can someone help me out?
Last edited by a moderator: