Effect of grid orthogonality on the solution accuracy of the two-dimensional convection-diffusion equation

Journal Article · · Numerical Heat Transfer. Part B, Fundamentals; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/10407799408914913· OSTI ID:7013965

Huang, H; Prosperetti, A ^[1]

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1. Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

The effects of grid orthogonality and smoothness on the accuracy of finite-difference solutions of the two-dimensional Laplace, convection-diffusion, and Navier-Stokes equations are studied analytically and numerically. The examples include flow past an airfoil and in a branching channel. It is concluded that orthogonality has little impact on accuracy in general, provided the angle between grid lines is not too small. Rather, accuracy is over sensitive to the clustering of points in the regions of rapid variation of the solution, and orthogonality may in fact have an adverse effect on the quality of the solution when it leads to a coarser resolution of these regions. These conclusions also extend to orthogonality at boundaries (either physical or computational), where Neumann conditions are implemented by one-sided derivatives.

• DOE Contract Number: FG02-89ER14043
• OSTI ID: 7013965
• Journal Information: Numerical Heat Transfer. Part B, Fundamentals; (United States), Journal Name: Numerical Heat Transfer. Part B, Fundamentals; (United States) Vol. 26:1; ISSN 1040-7790; ISSN NHBFEE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420400* -- Engineering-- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200 -- Mathematics & Computers
ACCURACY
CALCULATION METHODS
CONVECTION
DIFFUSION
ENERGY TRANSFER
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
HEAT TRANSFER
ITERATIVE METHODS
MASS TRANSFER
MESH GENERATION
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS