Mixed boundary element solution for three-dimensional convection-diffusion problem with a velocity profile

Abstract

A mixed boundary element formulation is presented for convection-diffusion problems with a velocity profile. In this formulation the convection-diffusion equation is considered as a nonlinear diffusion equation with inhomogeneous terms in which the convective term is involved additionally, because the spatial distribution of the drift velocity cannot be straightforwardly expressed in boundary integral form. Accordingly, a corresponding boundary integral equation may be described usually in the form of a so-called hybrid-type boundary integral equation. In the present paper, mixed boundary elements are employed in a discrete model of the original convection-diffusion system. In the mixed element, potentials are approximated linearly, and their normal derivatives to boundaries are assumed constant. A simple iterative scheme is adopted in order to solve hybrid-type mixed boundary element equations. Simple three-dimensional models are dealt with in numerical experiments. The proposed approach gives more accurate and stable solutions compared with constant boundary elements which have been reported.