DUAL RECIPROCITY BOUNDARY-ELEMENT METHOD FOR CONVECTIVE-DIFFUSIVE SOLID-LIQUID PHASE-CHANGE PROBLEMS, PART 1 - FORMULATION

A new dual reciprocity boundary element method for one-domain solving of the nonlinear convective-diffusive equation, as appears in one-phas e continuum formulation of the energy transport in solid-liquid phase change systems, is described. Laplace equation fundamental solution we ighting, straight line geometry and constant field shape functions on the boundary, finite-difference time discretization and scaled augment ed thin plate spline global interpolation functions for transforming t he domain integrals into a finite series of boundary integrals are emp loyed in two dimensions and in axisymmetry. Iterations over the timest ep are based on the Voller-Swaminathan scheme, upgraded to cope with t he convective term. The technique could be applied to a wide range of solid-liquid phase change problems where finite volume or finite eleme nt solvers have been almost exclusively used in the past. (C) 1998 Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.