Finite volume methods for incompressible flow

Abstract

Two finite volume methods are derived and applied to the solution of problems of incompressible flow. In particular, external inviscid flows and boundary-layer flows are examined. The firstmethod analyzed is a cell-centered finite volume scheme. It is shown to be formally first order accurate on equilateral triangles and used to calculate inviscid flow over an airfoil. The second method is a vertex-centered least-squares method and is second order accurate. It's quality is investigated for several types of inviscid flow problems and to solve Prandtl's boundary-layer equations over a flat plate. Future improvements and extensions of the method are discussed.