Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 208426, 19 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/208426
Research Article

Numerical Investigation into C O 𝟐 Emission, O 𝟐 Depletion, and Thermal Decomposition in a Reacting Slab

O. D. Makinde,1 T. Chinyoka,2 and R. S. Lebelo1

1Institute for Advance Research in Mathematical Modeling and Computations, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P.O. Box 1906, Bellville 7535, South Africa
2Center for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa

Received 29 January 2011; Revised 15 June 2011; Accepted 25 July 2011

Academic Editor: Ben T. Nohara

Copyright © 2011 O. D. Makinde et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) is closely associated with oxygen (O2) depletion, and thermal decomposition in a reacting stockpile of combustible materials like fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, and natural gas). Moreover, it is understood that proper assessment of the emission levels provides a crucial reference point for other assessment tools like climate change indicators and mitigation strategies. In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model for estimating the CO2 emission, O2 depletion, and thermal stability of a reacting slab is presented and tackled numerically using a semi-implicit finite-difference scheme. It is assumed that the slab surface is subjected to a symmetrical convective heat and mass exchange with the ambient. Both numerical and graphical results are presented and discussed quantitatively with respect to various parameters embedded in the problem.