Asymptotic analysis of the steady advection-diffusion problem in axial domains

Abstract

We present the asymptotic analysis of the steady advection-diffusion equation in a thin tube. The problem is modeled in a mixed-type variational formulation, in order to separate the phenomenon in the axial direction and a transverse one. Such formulation makes visible the natural separation of scales within the problem and permits a successful asymptotic analysis, delivering a limiting form, free from the initial geometric singularity and suitable for approximating the original one. Furthermore, it is shown that the limiting problem can be simplified to a significantly simpler structure.