Multidimensional Numerical Dispersion

Abstract

Abstract Numerical dispersion can cause a smearing of otherwise sharp saturation fronts. The usual methods of estimating the magnitude of the smearing effect in one dimension (1D) are shown to apply in two and three dimensions (2-and 3D) as well. Besides the smearing effect, numerical dispersion affects the finite-difference solution of a multidimensional flow problem by rotating the principal flow axes. A method for determining the importance of the rotation effect is discussed. Numerical illustrations are included.