Numerical methods for a coupled system of differential equations arising from a thermal ignition problem

This article is concerned with monotone iterative methods for numerical solutions of a coupled system of a first-order partial differential equation and an ordinary differential equation which arises from fast-igniting catalytic converters in automobile engineering. The monotone iterative scheme yields a straightforward marching process for the corresponding discrete system by the finite-difference method, and it gives not only a computational algorithm for numerical solutions of the problem but also the existence and uniqueness of a finite-difference solution. Particular attention is given to the "finite-time" blow-up property of the solution. In terms of minimal sequence of the monotone iterations, some necessary and sufficient conditions for the blow-up solution are obtained. Also given is the convergence of the finite-difference solution to the continuous solution as the mesh size tends to zero. Numerical results of the problem, including a case where the continuous solution is explicitly known, are presented and are compared with the known solution. Special attention is devoted to the computation of the blow-up time and the critical value of a physical parameter which determines the global existence and the blow-up property of the solution. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2013