The finite element technique, although somewhat obscure conceptually, presents a uniquely flexible framework for the analysis of many problems in continuum mechanics.
A FORTRAN based finite element code for turbulent fluid flow and heat transfer calculations has been developed. The code permits the solution of an arbitrary number of transport equations. All problem specific coding is confined to a set of USER subroutines, much as in the SIMPLER series of codes. The model currently uses up to nine node quadrilateral elements.
There is still much development to be done on this code, such as implementing a segregated solution strategy with iterative matrix solvers, and improving on the k-epsilon turbulence model which is notoriously unstable in finite element calculations.
© 1996, J. McKelliget