Optimal homotopy asymptotic method for heat transfer in hollow sphere with robin boundary conditions

In this article, we have investigated heat transfer from a hollow sphere using a powerful and relatively new semi‐analytic technique known as the optimal homotopy asymptotic method (OHAM). Robin boundary conditions are applied on both the inner and outer surfaces. The effects of Biot numbers, uniform heat generation, temperature‐ dependent thermal conductivity, and temperature parameters on the dimensionless temperature and heat transfer are investigated. The results of OHAM are compared with a numerical method and are found to be in good agreement. It is shown that the dimensionless temperature increases with an increase in Biot number at the inner surface and temperature and heat generation parameters, whereas it decreases with an increase in the Biot number at the outer surface and the dimensionless thermal conductivity and radial distance parameters. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res 43(2): 124‐133, 2014; Published online 20 June 2013 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.21067