Controlled grid generation on PC and workstation for fluid flow

Numerical grid generation plays an important role in computer simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer. Finite element and finite difference methods alike employ numerical grid generation of one kind or another. The applicability of finite-difference method is extended with elegance to a broad range of geometries due to research in structured numerical grid generation. Thompson's scheme is one such method of structured numerical grid generation which employs a set of elliptical partial differential equations as the grid generator. The 'quality' of a grid generation scheme is primarily determined by its ability to control the resolution of the grid generated via a-priori defined forcing functions P and Q. If we choose not to use domain decomposition, the classical method of grid resolution control in Thompson's scheme has certain deficiencies for fields with two (or more) hydrodynamic or thermal boundary layers. We propose a new method of grid resolution control in a single domain which seeks to combine algebraic grid generation, Fast Fourier Transform, and boundary point distribution to provide appropriate functions P and Q for the elliptic grid generation system. The proposed method is shown to be effective in providing adequate grid for numerical simulation of fluid flow.