A NEW LOOK AT FINITE-VOLUME METHODS

APPLICATION OF NUMERICAL METHODS TO SOLVE FOR THE FLOWFIELD OVER COMPLEX CONFIGURATIONS DEPENDS HEAVILY ON THEIR SUITABILITY FOR ARBITRARY MESH SHAPES. MAJOR DIFFICULTIES APPARENT WITH PRESENT FINITE VOLUME SCHEMES INCLUDE UNCERTAINTY IN DEFINING FUNCTIONAL POINT EVALUATIONS, ORDER OF APPROXIMATIONS AND ADHOC SCHEMES TO INCORPORATE PAPER PHYSICS. THIS RESEARCH IS TARGETED AT APPLYING FUNCTIONAL APPROXIMATIONS FOR CONSERVED QUANTITIES IN FINITE-VOLUME METHODS THUS ELIMINATING THE UNCERTAINTY OF POINT EVALUATION. THE METHOD PROPSED UTILIZES THE IDEA OF BASIS FUNCTIONS AND NATURALLY LEADS TO IMPLICIT SOLVERS FOR THE CONSERVED QUANTITIES. THE CONCEPT OF UPWINDING IS INCORPORATED THROUGH APPROPRIATE ALTERATIONS OF ASSUMED FUNCTIONAL APPROXIMATIONS FOR THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES.