Numerical solution for two-sided Stefan problem

Abstract

In this paper, we consider a two-phase Stefan problem in one-dimensional space for parabolic heat equation with non-homogenous Dirichlet boundary condition. This problem contains a free boundary depending on time. Therefore, the shape of the problem is changing with time. To overcome this issue, we use a simple transformation to convert the free-boundary problem to a fixed-boundary problem. However, this transformation yields a complex and nonlinear parabolic equation. The resulting equation is solved by the finite difference method with Crank-Nicolson scheme which is unconditionally stable and second-order of accuracy in space and time. The numerical results show an excellent accuracy and stable solutions for two test examples.