High-order complete flux schemes for convection-diffusion equations on arbitrary subdivisions

Abstract

We develop a novel complete flux finite volume method for convection-diffusion equations on arbitrary subdivisions in two and three dimensions. Unlike standard finite volume discretizations, where the numerical flux is directly approximated from the flux definition, we derive the exact normal flux across each control volume edge/face from the underlying PDE. This exact flux splits naturally into a homogeneous part (the classical Scharfetter--Gummel flux) and an inhomogeneous part based on a Green's function that incorporates the tangential flux and the source term. The resulting formulation is exactly equivalent to the continuous equation and, once the discrete space is chosen, yields high-order schemes without using correction or stabilization strategies. From this framework, we develop concrete numerical schemes on arbitrary grids using Lagrange finite element spaces and B-spline spaces, together with their companion dual meshes (control volume partitions). Numerical experiments in two and three dimensions confirm the optimal convergence and positivity preservation of the proposed schemes.

25 pages