Discontinuous finite elements in fluid dynamics and heat transfer /

The finite element technique may be a prime technique in the future for modeling fluid mechanics and heat transfer problems. Using it in a discontinuous sense is essential for realistic problems. Li (Washington State Univ., Pullman) offers a very rigorous, accurate introduction to this topic, but it may not be accessible to all undergraduates. After introducing the equations in the first chapter and discontinuous finite elements in the second, he gets right into the meat of the issue by demonstrating the technique on increasingly difficult problems. He progresses from incompressible flow solutions to compressible flow problems, and deals with external radiative heat transfer problems, including problems with participating media. Then he covers free and moving boundary problems before introducing solution methods for micro- and nanoscale flow and heat transfer problems. He finishes with an introduction to fluid flow and heat transfer problems in electromagnetic fields. This book is quite comprehensive and mathematically rigorous enough to impart the basics of discontinuous finite element methods if readers are sufficiently mathematically adept. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. S. E. Haupt Pennsylvania State University