A sequential gradient method for the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP)

A sequential-in-time implementation is proposed for a conjugate gradient method using an adjoins equation approach to solve the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP). Because the IHCP is generally ill-posed, Tikhonov regularization is included to stabilize the solution and allow for the inclusion of prior information. Aspects of the sequential gradient method are discussed and examined. Simulated one and two-dimensional test cases are evaluated to study the sequential implementation, Numerical solutions are obtained using a finite difference procedure. Results indicate the sequential implementation has accuracy comparable to the standard whole-domain solution, but in certain cases requires significantly more computational time. Benefits of the on-line nature of a sequential method may outweigh the additional computational requirements. Methods to improve the computational requirements, which make the method competitive with a rc hole domain solution, are given.