Interpolation functions in control volume finite element method

 The main contribution of this paper is the study of interpolation functions in control volume finite element method used in equal order and applied to an incompressible two-dimensional fluid flow. Especially, the exponential interpolation function expressed in the elemental local coordinate system is compared to the classic linear interpolation function expressed in the global coordinate system. A quantitative comparison is achieved by the application of these two schemes to four flows that we know the analytical solutions. These flows are classified in two groups: flows with privileged direction and flows without. The two interpolation functions are applied to a triangular element of the domain then; a direct comparison of the results given by each interpolation function to the exact value is easily realized. The two functions are also compared when used to solve the discretized equations over the entire domain. Stability of the numerical process and accuracy of solutions are compared. Received: 20 October 2002 / Accepted: 2 December 2002