No abstract

No abstract

SUMMARYA new finite element method is presented. This new method contains several novel features including a streamline upwind formulation for the advection terms and equal order interpolations for all variables: velocities, pressure, temperature and other fluid properties. This new formulation uses an iterative solution method greatly reducing the computer storage requirements. The validity of the new finite element method was tested on both a natural convection problem, a thermally driven cavity, and a forced convection problem, a heated cylinder in cross-flow. The predicted results compared favourably with a benchmark solution for the cavity and an empirical correlation for the cylinder in cross-flow.

A new simple stable approach to the numerical solution of problems in fluid flow and heat transfer has been developed. The new approach avoids the stability problems of the skew. upwind difJemnce scheme whle reducing the inaccu~cies ofnumerial diffuion associated with upwind differencing. 7he wigin of rhe instability , ir examined. Skew upwind differencing + compared with the proposed scheme for some idealized numeric01 results. 7he numerical compuiations presented show the superiority of the new scheme with respect to the shortcoming noted for the skew upwind scheme.