Cut finite elements for convection in fractured domains

Abstract

We develop a cut finite element method (CutFEM) for the convection problem in a so called fractured domain, which is a union of manifolds of different dimensions such that a d dimensional component always resides on the boundary of a d+1 dimensional component. This type of domain can for instance be used to model porous media with embedded fractures that may intersect. The convection problem is formulated in a compact form suitable for analysis using natural abstract directional derivative and divergence operators. The cut finite element method is posed on a fixed background mesh that covers the domain and the manifolds are allowed to cut through a fixed background mesh in an arbitrary way. We consider a simple method based on continuous piecewise linear elements together with weak enforcement of the coupling conditions and stabilization. We prove a priori error estimates and present illustrating numerical examples.