Finite Element Analysis for Mass-Lumped Three-Step Taylor Galerkin Method for Time Dependent Singularly Perturbed Problems with Exponentially Fitted Splines

Abstract

The motive of the current study is to derive pointwise error estimates for the three-step Taylor Galerkin finite element method for singularly perturbed problems. Pointwise error estimates have not been derived so far for the said method in the finite element framework. Singularly perturbed problems represent a class of problems containing a very sharp boundary layer in their solution. A small parameter called singular perturbation parameter is multiplied with the highest order derivative terms. When this parameter becomes smaller and smaller, a boundary layer occurs and the solution changes very abruptly in a very small portion of the domain. Because of this sudden change in the nature of the solution, it becomes very difficult for the numerical methods to capture the solution accurately specially in the boundary layer region. In the present study finite element analysis has been carried out for such one-dimensional singularly perturbed time dependent convection-diffusion equations. Exponentially fitted splines have been used for the three-step Taylor Galerkin finite element method to converge. Pointwise error estimates have been derived for the method and it is shown that the method is conditionally convergent of first order accurate in space and third order accurate in time. Numerical results have been presented for both the linear and nonlinear problems.