A MEMORY-EFFICIENT UNSTRUCTURED GRID REFINEMENT ALGORITHM FOR COMPUTATION OF 3D STEADY VISCOUS FLOWS

An algorithm for local refinement of unstructured grids for computatio n of 3D steady viscous flows is proposed. It is based on strict conven tions for grid elements numbering that allows one to reduce memory req uirements and to minimize the increase in the execution time for grid structure reconstruction. Additional savings in memory result from the fact that only grid refinement is allowed. The method requires about 20 integer words of storage per tetrahedron. The performance of the al gorithm is illustrated by computation of several non-isothermal flow r egimes in a horizontal epitaxial reactor. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Son s, Ltd.