Abstract: | We present a class of numerical schemes (called the relaxation schemes) for systems of conservation laws in several space dimensions. The idea is to use a local relaxation approximation. We construct a linear hyperbolic system with a stiff lower order term that approximates the original system with a small dissipative correction. The new system can be solved by underresolved stable numerical discretizations without using either Riemann solvers spatially or a nonlinear system of algebraic equations solvers temporally. Numerical results for 1-D and 2-D problems are presented. The second-order schemes are shown to be total variation diminishing (TVD) in the zero relaxation limit for scalar equations. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |