Numerical analysis of the PSI solution of advection–diffusion problems through a Petrov–Galerkin formulation

Abstract

We consider a system composed by two immiscible fluids in two-dimensional space that can be modelized by a bilayer Shallow Water equations with extra friction terms and capillary effects. We give an existence theorem of global weak solutions in a periodic domain.

In this paper we introduce an analysis technique for the solution of the steady advection– diffusion equation by the PSI (Positive Streamwise Implicit) method. We formulate this approximation as a nonlinear finite element Petrov–Galerkin scheme, and use tools of functional analysis to perform a convergence, error and maximum principle analysis. We prove that the scheme is first-order accurate in H1 norm, and well-balanced up to second order for convection-dominated flows. We give some numerical evidence that the scheme is only first-order accurate in L2 norm. Our analysis also holds for other nonlinear Fluctuation Splitting schemes that can be built from first-order monotone schemes by the Abgrall and Mezine’s technique.