Numerical Simulation of Natural and Mixed Convection Flows by Galerkin-Characteristic Method

El-Amrani, M.; Seaid, M

Abstract

A numerical investigation is performed to study the solution of natural and mixed convection flows by Galerkin-characteristic method. The method is based on combining the modified method of characteristics with a Galerkin finite element discretization in primitive variables. It can be interpreted as a fractional step technique where convective part and Stokes/Boussinesq part are treated separately. The main feature of the proposed method is that, due to the Lagrangian treatment of convection, the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) restriction is relaxed and the time truncation errors are reduced in the Stokes/Boussinesq part. Numerical simulations are carried out for a natural convection in squared cavity and for a mixed convection flow past a circular cylinder. The computed results are compared with those obtained using other Eulerian-based Galerkin finite element solvers, which are used for solving many convective flow models. The Galerkin-characteristic method has been found to be feasible and satisfactory.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Jan 18, 2008
• Journal: International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids
• Print ISSN: 0271-2091
• Electronic ISSN: 1097-0363
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 1819-1845
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/fld.1384
• Keywords: Natural convection, Mixed convection, Modified method of characteristics, Galerkin finite element method.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1566626