Nitsche-mortaring for singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problems

In the present paper we analyse a finite element method for a singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problem with exponential boundary layers. Using a mortaring technique we combine an anisotropic triangulation of the layer region (into rectangles) with a shape regular one of the remainder of the domain. This results in a possibly non-matching (and hybrid), but layer adapted mesh of Shishkin type. We study the error of the method allowing different asymptotic behaviour of the triangulations and prove uniform convergence and a supercloseness property of the method. Numerical results supporting our analysis are presented.     

A singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problem in a half-plane

A singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equation with constant coefficients is considered in a half plane, with Dirichlet boundary conditions. The boundary function has a specified degree of regularity except for a jump discontinuity, or jump discontinuity in a derivative of specified order, at a point. Precise pointwise bounds for the derivatives of the solution are obtained. The bounds show both the strength of the interior layer emanating from the point of discontinuity and the blowup of the derivatives resulting from the discontinuity, and make precise the dependence of the derivatives on the singular perturbation parameter.     

Novel fitted operator finite difference methods for singularly perturbed elliptic convection–diffusion problems in two dimensions

We consider a class of singularly perturbed elliptic problems posed on a unit square. These problems are solved by using fitted mesh methods by many researchers but no attempts are made to solve them using fitted operator methods, except our recent work on reaction–diffusion problems [J.B. Munyakazi and K.C. Patidar, Higher order numerical methods for singularly perturbed elliptic problems, Neural Parallel Sci. Comput. 18(1) (2010), pp. 75–88]. In this paper, we design two fitted operator finite difference methods (FOFDMs) for singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problems which possess solutions with exponential and parabolic boundary layers, respectively. We observe that both of these FOFDMs are ?-uniformly convergent. This fact contradicts the claim about singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problems [Miller et al. Fitted Numerical Methods for Singular Perturbation Problems, World Scientific, Singapore, 1996] that ‘when parabolic boundary layers are present, …, it is not possible to design an ?-uniform FOFDM if the mesh is restricted to being a uniform mesh’. We confirm our theoretical findings through computational investigations and also found that we obtain better results than those of Linß and Stynes [Appl. Numer. Math. 31 (1999), pp. 255–270].     

Special features of strongly coupled systems of convection–diffusion equations with two small parameters

Strong coupling of convection–diffusion equations with two small parameters generates a solution decomposition which differs significantly from that for the one-parameter case. We explain the basic features and prove pointwise estimates for the first-order derivatives which allow us to analyze the upwind finite difference scheme on layer-adapted meshes.     

A numerical method for a system of singularly perturbed reaction–diffusion equations

A Dirichlet problem for a system of two coupled singularly perturbed reaction–diffusion ordinary differential equations is examined. A numerical method whose solutions converge pointwise at all points of the domain independently of the singular perturbation parameters is constructed and analysed. Numerical results are presented, which illustrate the theoretical results.     

Qualitative analysis of a singularly perturbed system in ℝ3

We present some qualitative analysis of a singularly perturbed system of ordinary differential equations with two slow variables and one fast variable. The study rests on the method of integral manifolds and its modification in connection with applied problems. The inspection of the system requires studying various types of oscillations. We propose some sufficient conditions for the existence of relaxation oscillations in this system in the case that the slow surface has two folds.     

A second order scheme for a time-dependent,singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equation

We consider a numerical scheme for a one-dimensional, time-dependent, singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problem. The problem is discretized in space by a standard finite element method on a Bakhvalov–Shishkin type mesh. The space error is measured in an L² norm. For the time integration, the implicit midpoint rule is used. The fully discrete scheme is shown to be convergent of order 2 in space and time, uniformly in the singular perturbation parameter.     

A linearised singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problem with an interior layer

A linear time dependent singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problem is examined. The convective coefficient contains an interior layer (with a hyperbolic tangent profile), which in turn induces an interior layer in the solution. A numerical method consisting of a monotone finite difference operator and a piecewise-uniform Shishkin mesh is constructed and analysed. Neglecting logarithmic factors, first order parameter uniform convergence is established.     

Fully computable robust a posteriori error bounds for singularly perturbed reaction–diffusion problems

A procedure for the construction of robust, upper bounds for the error in the finite element approximation of singularly perturbed reaction–diffusion problems was presented in Ainsworth and Babuška (SIAM J Numer Anal 36(2):331–353, 1999) which entailed the solution of an infinite dimensional local boundary value problem. It is not possible to solve this problem exactly and this fact was recognised in the above work where it was indicated that the limitation would be addressed in a subsequent article. We view the present work as fulfilling that promise and as completing the investigation begun in Ainsworth and Babuška (SIAM J Numer Anal 36(2):331–353, 1999) by removing the obligation to solve a local problem exactly. The resulting new estimator is indeed fully computable and the first to provide fully computable, robust upper bounds in the setting of singularly perturbed problems discretised by the finite element method.     

Computer difference scheme for a singularly perturbed elliptic convection–diffusion equation in the presence of perturbations

A grid approximation of a boundary value problem for a singularly perturbed elliptic convection–diffusion equation with a perturbation parameter ε, ε ∈ (0,1], multiplying the highest order derivatives is considered on a rectangle. The stability of a standard difference scheme based on monotone approximations of the problem on a uniform grid is analyzed, and the behavior of discrete solutions in the presence of perturbations is examined. With an increase in the number of grid nodes, this scheme does not converge -uniformly in the maximum norm, but only conditional convergence takes place. When the solution of the difference scheme converges, which occurs if N ₁ ^-1 N ₂ ^-1 ? ε, where N ₁ and N ₂ are the numbers of grid intervals in x and y, respectively, the scheme is not -uniformly well-conditioned or ε-uniformly stable to data perturbations in the grid problem and to computer perturbations. For the standard difference scheme in the presence of data perturbations in the grid problem and/or computer perturbations, conditions imposed on the “parameters” of the difference scheme and of the computer (namely, on ε, N ₁,N ₂, admissible data perturbations in the grid problem, and admissible computer perturbations) are obtained that ensure the convergence of the perturbed solutions as N ₁,N ₂ → ∞, ε ∈ (0,1]. The difference schemes constructed in the presence of the indicated perturbations that converges as N ₁,N ₂ → ∞ for fixed ε, ε ∈ (0,1, is called a computer difference scheme. Schemes converging ε-uniformly and conditionally converging computer schemes are referred to as reliable schemes. Conditions on the data perturbations in the standard difference scheme and on computer perturbations are also obtained under which the convergence rate of the solution to the computer difference scheme has the same order as the solution of the standard difference scheme in the absence of perturbations. Due to this property of its solutions, the computer difference scheme can be effectively used in practical computations.     

On the convergence of the Dirichlet grid problem with a singularity for a singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equation

The Dirichlet problem for a singulary perturbed convection–diffusion equation in a rectangle when a discontinuity at the flow exit the first derivative of the boundary condition gives rise to an inner layer for the solution. On piecewise-uniform Shishkin grids that condense near regular and characteristic layers, the solution obtained using the classical five-point difference scheme with a directed difference is shown to converge with respect to the small parameter to solve the original problem in the grid norm L _∞ ^h almost with the first order. This theoretical result is confirmed via numerical analysis.     

Superconvergence of finite element method for singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equations in 1D

In this article, a singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equation is solved by a linear finite element method on a Shishkin mesh. By means of an analysis exploiting symmetries in the convective term of the bilinear form, a new superconvergence rate, which improves the existing result, is obtained.     

Convergence of a finite element method on a Bakhvalov-type mesh for a singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equation in 2D

A finite element method of any order is applied on a Bakhvalov-type mesh to solve a singularly perturbed convection–diffusion equation in 2D, whose solution exhibits exponential boundary layers. A uniform convergence of (almost) optimal order is proved by means of a carefully defined interpolant.     

Stabilised approximation of interior-layer solutions of a singularly perturbed semilinear reaction–diffusion problem

A semilinear reaction–diffusion two-point boundary value problem, whose second-order derivative is multiplied by a small positive parameter e²{\varepsilon^2} , is considered. It can have multiple solutions. The numerical computation of solutions having interior transition layers is analysed. It is demonstrated that the accurate computation of such solutions is exceptionally difficult. To address this difficulty, we propose an artificial-diffusion stabilization. For both standard and stabilised finite difference methods on suitable Shishkin meshes, we prove existence and investigate the accuracy of computed solutions by constructing discrete sub- and super-solutions. Convergence results are deduced that depend on the relative sizes of e{\varepsilon} and N, where N is the number of mesh intervals. Numerical experiments are given in support of these theoretical results. Practical issues in using Newton’s method to compute a discrete solution are discussed.     

Standard finite difference scheme for a singularly perturbed elliptic convection–diffusion equation on a rectangle under computer perturbations

A singularly perturbed elliptic convection–diffusion equation with a perturbation parameter ε (ε ∈ (0, 1]) is considered on a rectangle. As applied to this equation, a standard finite difference scheme on a uniform grid is studied under computer perturbations. This scheme is not ε-uniformly stable with respect to perturbations. The conditions imposed on a “computing system” are established under which a converging standard scheme (referred to as a computer difference scheme) remains stable.     

Analysis of a BDF–DGFE scheme for nonlinear convection–diffusion problems

We deal with the numerical solution of a scalar nonstationary nonlinear convection–diffusion equation. We employ a combination of the discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for the space semi-discretization and the k-step backward difference formula for the time discretization. The diffusive and stabilization terms are treated implicitly whereas the nonlinear convective term is treated by a higher order explicit extrapolation method, which leads to the necessity to solve only a linear algebraic problem at each time step. We analyse this scheme and derive a priori asymptotic error estimates in the discrete L ^∞(L ²)-norm and the L ²(H ¹)-seminorm with respect to the mesh size h and time step τ for k = 2,3. Numerical examples verifying the theoretical results are presented. This work is a part of the research project MSM 0021620839 financed by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic and was partly supported by the Grant No. 316/2006/B-MAT/MFF of the Grant Agency of the Charles University Prague. The research of M. Vlasák was supported by the project LC06052 of the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic (Jindřich Nečas Center for Mathematical Modelling).