Boundary and Initial Conditions in 2D Heat Equations

To fully determine the solution of the heat equation, we need to specify:

1. Initial Conditions (ICs) – The state of the system at the initial time \( t = 0 \).

2. Boundary Conditions(BCs) – How the system behaves at the boundaries of the spatial
domain (for all times \( t > 0 \)).

1. Boundary Conditions

The boundary conditions describe the behavior of the solution \( u(x, y, t) \) on the
boundaries of the domain. The most common types of boundary conditions for the heat
equation are Dirichlet, Neumann, and mixed boundary conditions.

A. Dirichlet Boundary Conditions

Dirichlet boundary conditions specify the value of the function \( u(x, y, t) \) on the
boundary of the domain. In physical terms, this means we are imposing a fixed
temperature on the boundary.

For a 2D domain \( \Omega \) with boundary \( \partial \Omega \), a Dirichlet boundary
condition on the entire boundary might be written as:

𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡) = 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 𝜕𝛺, 𝑡 > 0

Where f(x, y) is a known function that specifies the temperature at the boundary for all
times.

Example 1: Constant Boundary Temperature

Suppose we have a rectangular domain0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 𝐿 x , 0≤𝑦≤𝐿𝑦0≤y≤Ly

and we set the temperature to a constant value T0 on the entire boundary:

𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡) = 𝑇0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 𝜕𝛺, > 0

This could represent a situation where the boundary of the system is in contact with a
material that maintains a constant temperature.

Example 2: Spatially Varying Boundary Temperature

Alternatively, we could impose a boundary condition where the temperature varies along
the boundary. For example, on the boundary x = 0 , we might have:

𝜋𝑦
𝑈(0, 𝑦, 𝑡) = 100 + 50 𝑠𝑖𝑛 ( ) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 𝐿𝑦 , 𝑡 > 0
𝐿𝑥

This would represent a boundary where the temperature distribution is sinusoidal in the y -
direction.

B. Neumann Boundary Conditions

Neumann boundary conditions specify the derivative of the function \( u(x, y, t) \) normal to
the boundary. In physical terms, this means we are imposing a condition on the heat flux at
the boundary, rather than the temperature itself.
For a 2D domain, the Neumann boundary condition can be written as:

𝜕𝑢
= 𝑔(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 𝜕𝛺, 𝑡 > 0
𝜕𝑛

𝜕𝑢
Where denotes the derivative of u in the direction normal to the boundary (outward
𝜕𝑛
pointing normal), and g(x, y) is a given function describing the heat flux on the boundary.

Example 1: No Heat Flux (Insulated Boundary)

A common Neumann boundary condition is to impose that there is no heat flux across the
boundary, which corresponds to an insulated boundary:

𝜕𝑢
= 0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 𝜕𝛺, 𝑡 > 0
𝜕𝑛

This condition would be used if the boundary is perfectly insulated, meaning no heat can
enter or leave the domain through the boundary.

Example 2: Constant Heat Flux

In another case, we might impose a constant heat flux through the boundary. For example,
on the boundary x = Lx, we could have:

𝜕𝑢
(𝐿 , 𝑦, 𝑡) = 𝑞0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 𝐿𝑦 , 𝑡 > 0
𝜕𝑥 𝑥
Where q0 is a constant that represents the rate of heat flow per unit area.

C. Mixed Boundary Conditions

Mixed boundary conditions combine both Dirichlet and Neumann conditions on different
parts of the boundary. This is useful in scenarios where one part of the boundary is kept at a
fixed temperature while another part has a specified heat flux.

For example, consider a domain where the left side (at \( x = 0 \)) has a fixed temperature,
and the right side at x = Lx has a specified heat flux:

𝑢(0, 𝑦, 𝑡) = 𝑇 0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 𝐿𝑦 , 𝑡 > 0

𝜕𝑢
(𝐿 , 𝑦, 𝑡) = 𝑞0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 𝐿𝑦 , 𝑡 > 0
𝜕𝑥 𝑥

D. Robin Boundary Conditions

Robin boundary conditions, also known as convective boundary conditions, are a

combination of Dirichlet and Neumann conditions applied to the same bounda”y. These
conditions are often used to model heat transfer between the domain and the surrounding
environment through convection.

For a 2D domain, a Robin boundary condition can be written as:

𝜕𝑢
𝛼𝑢(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡) + 𝛽 = ℎ(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 𝜕𝛺, 𝑡 > 0
𝜕𝑛
Where 𝛼 and 𝛽 are constants, and h(x, y) describes the heat transfer at the boundary.

Example: Convective Heat Transfer

If the boundary is exposed to air or another fluid that removes heat through convection, the
Robin boundary condition might take the form:

𝜕𝑢
𝐻 𝑢(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡) + 𝑘 = 𝑇{∞}
𝜕𝑛

Where h is the heat transfer coefficient, k is the thermal conductivity of the material, and
𝑇∞ is the temperature of the surrounding fluid.

### 2. Initial Conditions

The initial condition specifies the temperature distribution at the start of the process, i.e.,
at t = 0 . For a 2D heat equation, the initial condition is typically given by:

𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 0) = 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑓𝑜𝑟(𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ Ω

Where f(x, y) is the initial temperature distribution in the domain.

1: Uniform Initial Temperature

A simple example of an initial condition is to assume that the entire domain starts at a
uniform temperature:

𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 0) = 𝑇0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ Ω

This could represent a situation where the system starts in thermal equilibrium at
temperature ( 𝑇𝑜)

Example 2: Spatially Varying Initial Temperature

A more complex initial condition might involve a spatially varying temperature distribution.
For instance:

𝜋𝑥 𝜋𝑦
𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 0) = 100 + 50sin( ) 𝑠𝑖𝑛 ( )
𝐿𝑥 𝐿𝑦

This could represent a scenario where the initial temperature varies sinusoidally in both the
x - and y -directions.

3. Examples of Heat Equation Problems with Boundary and Initial Conditions

Let’s summarize two example problems that combine different boundary and initial
condition

Example Problem 1: Dirichlet Boundary Conditions with Uniform Initial Temperature

• Domain: Rectangular region ( 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 1 ), ( 0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 1 ).

 • Boundary Conditions: Fixed temperature of 0 on all boundaries (Dirichlet
condition).
• Initial Condition: Uniform temperature of 100 across the domain:

𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 0) = 100, 𝑢(𝑥, 0, 𝑡) = 𝑢(1, 𝑦, 𝑡) = 𝑢(𝑥, 1, 𝑡) = 𝑢(0, 𝑦, 𝑡) = 0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡 > 0

This represents a situation where the boundaries are held at zero temperature, while the
interior starts at a higher temperature.

Example Problem 2: Neumann and Dirichlet Boundary Conditions with Spatially Varying
Initial Condition

• Domain: Rectangular region 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 2,0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 2

- **Boundary Conditions**: Left boundary x = 0 is insulated (Neumann condition), right

boundary x = 2 is held at 50 (Dirichlet condition), top and bottom boundaries are insulated
(Neumann conditions).

• -Initial Condition: Temperature varies sinusoidally in the x -direction:

𝜋𝑥
𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 0) = 50 𝑠𝑖𝑛 ( )
𝐿𝑥

This problem models a system where heat flows from the left to the right, with varying initial
temperature, and insulated top and bottom boundaries.