A conforming mixed finite element method for the Navier–Stokes/Darcy coupled problem

Abstract

In this paper we develop the a priori analysis of a mixed finite element method for the coupling of fluid flow with porous media flow. Flows are governed by the Navier---Stokes and Darcy equations, respectively, and the corresponding transmission conditions are given by mass conservation, balance of normal forces, and the Beavers-Joseph-Saffman law. We consider the standard mixed formulation in the Navier---Stokes domain and the dual-mixed one in the Darcy region, which yields the introduction of the trace of the porous medium pressure as a suitable Lagrange multiplier. The finite element subspaces defining the discrete formulation employ Bernardi-Raugel and Raviart-Thomas elements for the velocities, piecewise constants for the pressures, and continuous piecewise linear elements for the Lagrange multiplier. We show stability, convergence, and a priori error estimates for the associated Galerkin scheme. Finally, several numerical results illustrating the good performance of the method and confirming the theoretical rates of convergence are reported.