MULTIGRID CALCULATION OF STEADY, VISCOUS-FLOW IN A TRIANGULAR CAVITY

Lid-driven recirculating flow in a triangular cavity is simulated at different Reynolds numbers, using a multigrid solution procedure for the Navier-Stokes equations discretized on triangular grids. The discretization uses a control volume methodology, with linear internodal variation of the flow variables. The use of the multigrid technique provides rapid and grid-independent rates of convergence. Richardson extrapolation is used to obtain accurate representations of the flow field for all reported Reynolds numbers. The most significant feature of the flow is the occurrence of a sequence of eddies of rapidly decreasing intensity towards the stationary lower corner of the cavity. Streamtraces of the eddies, contours of vorticity, and plots of the centerline velocity and pressure are presented. The solution at low Reynolds numbers is compared with the analytical results of Moffat. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.