ESTIMATES OF BLOW-UP TIME FOR A NON-LOCAL REACTIVE–CONVECTIVE PROBLEM MODELLING OHMIC HEATING OF FOODS

Abstract

In this work, we estimate the blow-up time for the non-local hyperbolic equation of ohmic type, $u_t+u_{x}=\lambda f(u)/(\int_{0}^1f(u)\,\mathrm{d} x)^{2}$, together with initial and boundary conditions. It is known that, for $f(s)$, $-f'(s)$ positive and $\int_0^\infty f(s)\,\mathrm{d} s\lt\infty$, there exists a critical value of the parameter $\lambda>0$, say $\lambda^\ast$, such that for $\lambda>\lambda^\ast$ there is no stationary solution and the solution $u(x,t)$ blows up globally in finite time $t^\ast$, while for $\lambda\leq\lambda^\ast$ there exist stationary solutions. Moreover, the solution $u(x,t)$ also blows up for large enough initial data and $\lambda\leq\lambda^\ast$. Thus, estimates for $t^\ast$ were found either for $\lambda$ greater than the critical value $\lambda^\ast$ and fixed initial data $u_0(x)\geq0$, or for $u_0(x)$ greater than the greatest steady-state solution (denoted by $w_2\geq w^*$) and fixed $\lambda\leq\lambda^\ast$. The estimates are obtained by comparison, by asymptotic and by numerical methods. Finally, amongst the other results, for given $\lambda$, $\lambda^*$ and $0\lt\lambda-\lambda^*\ll1$, estimates of the following form were found: upper bound $\epsilon+c_1\ln[c_2(\lambda-\lambda^*)^{-1}]$; lower bound $c_3(\lambda-\lambda^*)^{-1/2}$; asymptotic estimate $t^\ast\sim c_4(\lambda-\lambda^\ast)^{-1/2}$ for $f(s)=\mathrm{e}^{-s}$. Moreover, for $0\lt\lambda\leq\lambda^*$ and given initial data $u_0(x)$ greater than the greatest steady-state solution $w_2(x)$, we have upper estimates: either $c_5\ln(c_6A^{-1}_0+1)$ or $\epsilon+c_7\ln(c_8\zeta^{-1})$, where $A_0$, $\zeta$ measure, in some sense, the difference $u_0-w_2$ (if $u_0\to w_2+$, then $A_0,\zeta\to0+$). $c_i\gt0$ are some constants and $0\lt\epsilon\ll1$, $0\ltA_0,\zeta$. Some numerical results are also given.