Development of Improved Finite Element Formulation for Shallow Water Equations.
Abstract
The basic principles of the Galerkin finite element method are discussed and applied to two different formulations; one using different basis functions and the other using the vorticity-divergence form of the shallow water equations. Each formulation is compared to the primitive form of the equations developed by Kelley (1976). The testing involves a comparison of three finite element prediction models using variable size elements. Equilateral elements significantly improve the solution and are used in most of the comparisons. The formulation using different basis functions produces poorer results than the primitive formulation. The vorticity-divergence formulation produces superior results while executing faster than the primitive model. However, it does require more storage and the relaxation parameters are sensitive to the domain geometry. The computer implementation for the vorticity-divergence model is discussed and the source listing is included.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA112386
Entities
People
- Edward T. Woodward
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School