SOLUTIONS OF DIFFUSION EQUATION WITH CONSTANT DIFFUSION AND SURFACE EMISSION COEFFICIENTS

Closed-form solutions of the non-steady state diffusion equation with constant transport coefficients are presented. The diffusion coefficient is assumed to be finite, but the surface emission coefficient can be either finite or infinite. Mathematical conditions are established for the transport coefficients to be constant. When these conditions are met, the transport coefficients can then be easily evaluated. Diffusion test data can be compared against these conditions to determine whether or not the transport coefficients are constant. Desorption test data of northern red oak indicate that initial moisture content in wood and equilibrium moisture content in the environment are closely related to the constancy of the transport coefficients.