Contour dynamics for numerical fluid-flow calculations

Abstract The numerical solution of problems in fluid dynamics is discussed in terms of a Dynamics-of-Contours (DOC) methodology. Elements of the flow are represented by contour points (or lines or surfaces) that move relative to the fluid in a manner that rigorously conserves mass, momentum and energy, and also represents the transient dynamics. The principal advantage of this technique is that it automatically gives fine resolution of flow features in regions of detailed structure, and coarse resolution where not much is occurring. Several examples are presented to illustrate the results of test problems.