The General Scalar Transport

Equation
Overview of Numerical Methods
 Overview

z Examine important classes of partial differential equations and

understand their behavior
z See how this knowledge applies to the general scalar transport
equation
z Start a general overview of the main elements of all numerical
methods
General Scalar Transport Equation

Unsteady Convection Diffusion Generation

φ is a specific quantity (say energy per unit mass)

V : velocity vector
Γ: Diffusion coefficient
ρ: density
S: Source term (Generation per unit volume W/m3)
 Classification of PDEs

Consider the second-order partial differential equation for

φ (x,y):

Coefficients a,b,c,d,e,f are linear -- not functions of

φ, but can be functions of (x,y)

Discriminant

D<0 Elliptic PDE

D=0 Parabolic PDE
D>0 Hyperbolic PDE
 Elliptic PDEs

Consider 1-D heat conduction in a

plane wall with constant thermal
conductivity

To

TL
Boundary conditions

Solution:
 Elliptic PDE’s

To
• T(x) is influenced by both
boundaries TL

• In the absence of source terms,

T(x) is bounded by the values on
both boundaries
•Can we devise numerical
schemes which preserve these
properties?
 Parabolic PDEs

Consider 1D unsteady conduction T0 T0

Ti
in a slab with constant properties:

Boundary and initial conditions Solution:

 Parabolic PDEs (cont’d)

T0 Ti T0

• The solution at T(x,t) is influenced by the boundaries, just as with elliptic PDEs
•We need only initial condtions T(x,0). We do not need future conditions
•Initial conditions only affect future conditions, not past conditions
• Initial conditions affect all spatial points in the future
• A steady state is reached as t->∞. In this limit we recover the elliptic PDE.
•In the absence of source terms, the temperature is bounded by initial and
boundary conditions
•Marching solutions are possible
 Hyperbolic PDEs

Consider the convection of a step

change in temperature:

Initial and boundary conditions

Solution:
Hyperbolic PDEs (cont’d)
 Hyperbolic PDEs (cont’d)

• Upstream conditions can

potentially affect the solution at a
point x; downstream conditions do
not
• Inlet conditions propagate at a
finite speed U
•Inlet condition is not felt at location
x until a time x/U
 Relation to Scalar Transport Equation

• Contains all three canonical PDE terms

• If Re is low and situation is steady, we get an elliptic
equation
• If diffusion coefficient is zero , we get a hyperbolic equation
• If Re is low and situation is unsteady, we get a parabolic
equation
• For mixed regimes, we get mixed behavior
 Components of CFD Solution

z Geometry creation
z Domain discretization (mesh generation)
z Discretization of governing equations
z Solution of discrete equations; accounting for non-
linearities and inter-equation coupling
z Visualization and post-processing
 Solution Process

z Analytical solution gives us φ(x,y,z,t). Numerical

solution gives us φ only at discrete grid points.
z The process of converting the governing partial
differential equation into discrete algebraic equations
is call discretization.
z Discretization involves
» Discretization of space using mesh generation
» Discretization of governing equations to yield sets
of algebraic equations
 Mesh Types

Regular and Stair-stepped

body-fitted representation of
meshes complex geometry
 Mesh types (cont’d)

Block- Unstructured
structured meshes
meshes
 Mesh Types

Cell
shapes

Non-
conformal
mesh

Hybrid mesh
 Mesh Terminology

• Node-based finite volume scheme: φ stored at vertex

• Cell-based finite volume scheme: φ stored at cell centroid
 Overview of Finite Difference Method

Consider diffusion equation:

z Step 1: Discretize domain using

a mesh.
Unknowns are located at nodes
z Step 2: Expand φ in Taylor series
about point 2

z Subtracting equations yields

 Finite Difference Method (cont’d)

z Step 3: Adding equations yields

Second order
z Drop truncated terms: truncation error

z Step 4: Evaluate source term at point 2:

 Finite Difference Method (cont’d)

z Step 5: Assemble discrete equation

z Comments
» We can write one such equation for each grid point
» Boundary conditions give us boundary values
» Second-order accurate
» Need to find a way to solve couple algebraic equation set
Overview of Finite Volume Method

Consider the diffusion equation:

Step 1: Integrate over control volume

 Finite Volume Scheme (cont’d)

Step 2: Make linear profile

assumption between cell
centroids for φ. Assume S varies
linearly over CV
Step 3: Collect terms and cast into
algebraic equation:
 Comments
z Process starts with conservation statement over cell.
We find φ such that it satisfies conservation. Thus,
regardless of how coarse the mesh is, the finite
volume scheme always gives perfect conservation
z This does not guarantee accuracy, however.
z The process of discretization yields a flux balance
involving face values of the diffusion flux, for example:
⎛ ∂φ ⎞
−Γ e ⎜ ⎟
⎝ ∂x ⎠e
z Profile assumptions for φ and S need not be the same.
 Comments (cont’d)

z As with finite difference method, we need to solve a

set of coupled algebraic equations
z Though finite difference and finite volume schemes
use different procedures to obtain discrete equations,
we can use the same solution techniques to solve the
discrete equations
 Closure

In this lecture we
z Considered different canonical PDEs and examined their
behavior
z Understood how these model equations relate to our general
scalar transport equations
z Started an overview of the important elements of any numerical
method
z In the next lecture we will complete this overview and start
looking more closely at the finite volume method for diffusion
problems.