A unsplitting finite volume method for models with stiff relaxation source terms

Abstract

We developed an unsplitting finite volume scheme to account the delicate nonlinear balance between numerical approximations of the hyperbolic flux function and the source linked to balance laws. The method is Riemann-solver-free and no upwinding technique is used. By means of this new approach, we conducted an analysis for two new models of balance laws linked to compositional and thermal flow in porous media problems, under and without a thermodynamic equilibrium hypothesis. For concreteness, we adopt the nitrogen and steam injection models in a porous media. To this model we found an interesting behavior linked to the relaxation term, which is the existence of a non-monotonic traveling wave. We applied this numerical technique to others well-known differential models with relaxation terms available in the literature. Qualitatively we were able to reproduce the expected results.