Boundary element analysis for convection-diffusion-reaction problems combining dual reciprocity and radial integration methods

Abstract

In this research project, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is developed and formulated for the solution of two-dimensional convection-diffusion-reaction problems. A combined approach with the dual reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM) has been applied to solve steady-state problems with variable velocity and transient problems with constant and variable velocity fields. Further, the radial integration boundary element method (RIBEM) is utilised to handle non-homogeneous problems with variable source term. For all cases, a boundary-only formulation is produced. Initially, the steady-state case with constant velocity is considered, by employing constant boundary elements and a fundamental solution of the adjoint equation. This fundamental solution leads to a singular integral equation. The conservation laws, usually applied to avoid this integration, do not hold when a chemical reaction is taking place. Then, the integrals are successfully computed using Telles’ technique. The application of the BEM for this particular equation is discussed in detail in this work. Next, the steady-state problem for variable velocity fields is presented and investigated. The velocity field is divided into an average value plus a perturbation. The perturbation is taken to the right-hand-side of the equation generating a non-homogeneous term. This nonhomogeneous equation is treated by utilising the DRM approach resulting in a boundary-only equation. Then, an integral equation formulation for the transient problem with constant velocity is derived, based on the DRM approach utilising the fundamental solution of the steady-state case. Therefore, the convective terms will be encompassed by the fundamental solution and lie within the boundary integral after application of Greens’s second identity, leaving on the right-hand-side of the equation a domain integral involving the time-derivative only. The proposed DRM method needs the time-derivative to be expanded as a series of functions that will allow the domain integral to be moved to the boundary. The expansion required by the DRM uses functions which take into account the geometry and physics of the problem, if velocity-dependent terms are used. After that, a novel DRBEM model for transient convection-diffusion-reaction problems with variable velocity field is investigated and validated. The fundamental solution for the corresponding steady-state problem is adopted in this formulation. The variable velocity is decomposed into an average which is included into the fundamental solution of the corresponding equation with constant coefficients, and a perturbation which is treated using the DRM approximation. The mathematical formulation permits the numerical solution to be represented in terms of boundary-only integrals. Finally, a new formulation for non-homogeneous convection-diffusion-reaction problems with variable source term is achieved using RIBEM. The RIM is adopted to convert the domain integrals into boundary-only integrals. The proposed technique shows very good solution behaviour and accuracy in all cases studied. The convergence of the methods has been examined by implementing different error norm indicators and increasing the number of boundary elements in all cases. Numerical test cases are presented throughout this research work. Their results are sufficiently encouraging to recommend the use of the techniques developed for solution of general convection-diffusion-reaction problems. All the simulated solutions for several examples showed very good agreement with available analytical solutions, with no numerical problems of oscillation and damping of sharp fronts.