How to avoid oscillations when numerically integrating the thermal counductivity equations on discrete grid?

75 Views Asked by At

Consider the grid (one or two dimensional) of cells modelling the solid - each cell holds the current temperature and heat capacity.

Propagation of heat is then modelled in two iterative steps:
1. Compute temperature differences between neighbour cells thus yielding the heat flux according to the Fourier's law
2. Compute the termperature changes of cells according to heat capacity of a cell
3. Proceed to next iteration of time

This kind of approach can lead to oscillations (which cannot happen under heat transfer equation) - when temperature differences are high, heat is transferred too much between cells so they become to have the temperature gradient in reverse direction.

How to avoid such oscillations?