High-resolution genuinely multidimensional solution of conservation laws by the space-time conservation element and solution element method

Abstract

In this overview paper, we review the basic principles of the method of space-time conservation element and solution element for solving the conservation laws in one and two spatial dimensions. The present method is developed on the basis of local and global flux conservation in a space-time domain, in which space and time are treated in a unified manner. In contrast to the modern upwind schemes, the approach here does not use the Riemann solver and the reconstruction procedure as the building blocks. The drawbacks of the upwind approach, such as the difficulty of rationally extending the 1D scalar approach to systems of equations and particularly to multiple dimensions is here contrasted with the uniformity and ease of generalization of the Conservation Element and Solution Element (CE/SE) 1D scalar schemes to systems of equations and to multiple spatial dimensions. The assured compatibility with the simplest type of unstructured meshes, and the uniquely simple nonreflecting boundary conditions of the present method are also discussed. The present approach has yielded high-resolution shocks, rarefaction waves, acoustic waves, vortices, ZND detonation waves, and shock/acoustic waves/vortices interactions. Moreover, since no directional splitting is employed, numerical resolution of two-dimensional calculations is comparable to that of the one-dimensional calculations. Some sample applications displaying the strengths and broad applicability of the CE/SE method are reviewed.