COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS: FVM: SOLUTION PROCESS & GRIDS
Dr K M Singh, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee NPTEL 16.1
Lecture 16
FINITE VOLUME METHOD: METHODOLOGY AND GRIDS
16.1 FINITE VOLUME METHOD
The finite volume method (FVM) is based on the approximate solution of the integral form of
the conservation equations. The problem domain is divided into a set of non-overlapping
control volumes (called finite volumes). The conservation equations are applied to each finite
volume. The integrals occurring in the conservation equations are evaluated using function
values at computational nodes (which are usually taken as centroids of finite volumes). This
process involves use of approximate integral formulae and interpolation methods (to obtain
the values of variables at surfaces of the CVs).
The FVM can accommodate any type of grid, and hence, it is naturally suitable for
complex geometries. This explains its popularity for commercial CFD packages, which must
cater to problems in arbitrarily complex geometries. This method has immensely benefited
from the unstructured grid generation methods developed for finite element method.
16.2 FINITE VOLUME SOLUTION PROCESS
Finite volume method employs the integral form of the conservation equations as the starting
point. The integral form can be obtained using Reynolds transport theorem, and for a generic
scalar, its transport equation is given by
d d
CV S S
d S d
t
|
| | |
O
c
O+ = IV + O
c
} } } }
v A A (16.1)
An alternative approach could be to derive (16.1) using the conservative form of differential
scalar transport equation given by
( )
( ) ( ) div u div grad S
dt
|
|
| |
c
+ = I + (16.2)
To obtain the integral form, integrate (16.2) over a three-dimensional control volume (CV)
yielding
( )
d ( ) d ( ) d d
CV CV CV CV
V div u V div grad V S V
dt
|
|
| |
c
+ = I +
} } } }
Using Gauss' divergence theorem, above equation can be written as
d .( ) d .( ) d d
CV A A CV
V n u A n grad A S V
t
|
| | |
| |
c
+ = I +
|
c
\ .
} } } }
(16.3)
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS: FVM: SOLUTION PROCESS & GRIDS
Dr K M Singh, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee NPTEL 16.2
Equations (16.1) and (16.3) are identical, and hence, either approach can be employed in
finite volume formulation.
Solution domain is sub-divided into a finite number of small control volume (CVs) by
a grid. The grid defines the CV boundaries, not the computational modes. The integral
conservation equation (16.1) applies to each CV as well as to the solution domain as a whole.
Thus, global conservation is built into the method. To obtain an algebraic equation for each
CV, the surface and volume integrals are approximated using quadrature formulae. Thus, the
overall finite volume solution process involves the following steps:
- Discretize the solution domain by a grid (i.e. a set of finite volumes), and define
the computational nodes at which variables are to be evaluated.
- Apply the integral form of conservation law to each control volume. Approximate
the surface and volume integrals using appropriate quadrature formulae in terms
of the function values at computational nodes.
- Collect the algebraic equations for all the finite volumes to obtain a system of
algebraic equations in terms of unknown values of the variable at computational
nodes.
- Solve the resulting system of algebraic equations to obtain values of the variable
at each computational node.
16.3 TYPES OF FINITE VOLUME GRIDS
There are two common approaches to finite volume discretization: (a) cell-centred and (b)
face centred grids (Figure 16.1).
- Cell-centred approach: CVs are defined by a suitable grid (structured or
unstructured) and computational nodes are assigned at the CV centre.
- Face-centred approach: Nodal locations are defined first, and CVs are then
constructed around them so that CV faces lie midway between the nodes. It can be
used only with structured grids.
In view of its versatility, the first approach is most commonly employed.
Figure 16.1 Types of FV grids: nodes centred in CVs (left) and CV faces centred between
nodes (right) (Ferziger and Peric, 2003)
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS: FVM: SOLUTION PROCESS & GRIDS
Dr K M Singh, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee NPTEL 16.3
16.4 COMPASS NOTATION
For structured Cartesian grids, compass notation is employed for computational nodes as
shown in Figures 16.2 and 16.3 for 2-D and 3-D respectively. CV surfaces can be subdivided
into 4 (in 2-D) or 6 (in 3-D) plane faces denoted by lower case letters corresponding to their
direction (e, w, s, n, t and b) with respects to the central node P.
Figure 16.7 A typical CV and notation used for 2-D Cartesian finite volume grid
Figure 16.8 A typical CV and notation used for 3-D Cartesian finite volume grid
REFERENCES/FURTHER READING
Chung, T. J. (2010). Computational Fluid Dynamics. 2
nd
Ed., Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, UK.
Ferziger, J. H. And Peri, M. (2003). Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics. Springer.
Versteeg, H. K. and Malalasekera, W. M. G. (2007). Introduction to Computational Fluid
Dynamics: The Finite Volume Method. Second Edition (Indian Reprint) Pearson Education.
