Abstract: | A hybrid finite-element method, combining ideas from a modified method of characteristics and the streamline diffusion method, delivers accurate solutions to the advection–diffusion equation. An error analysis for the case of tensorial diffusion shows that the lowest-order version of the scheme, which allows one to use a symmetric linear solvers at each time step, possesses first-order accuracy in time and space. Numerical experiments demonstrate the scheme's ability to model advection-dominated transport of solute plumes without distorting sharp fronts. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |