A finite element-boundary element method for advection-diffusion problems with variable advective fields and infinite domains

In this paper a hybrid, finite element-boundary element method which can be used to solve for particle advection-diffusion in infinite domains with va riable advective fields is presented. In previous work either boundary elem ent, finite element, or difference methods were used to solve for particle motion in advective-diffusive domains. These methods have a number of limit ations. Due to the complexity of computing spatially dependent Green's func tions, the boundary element method is limited to domains containing only co nstant advective fields, and due to their inherent formulations, finite ele ment and finite difference methods are limited to only domains of finite sp atial extent. Thus, finite element and finite difference methods are limite d to finite space problems for which the boundary element method is not, an d the boundary element method is limited to constant advection field proble ms for which finite element and finite difference methods are not. In this paper it is proposed to split the total domain into two sub-domains, and fo r each of these sub-domains, apply the appropriate solution method; thereby , producing a method for the total infinite space, variable advective field domain. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.