The discrete geometric conservation law and the nonlinear stability of ALE schemes for the solution of flow problems on moving grids

Discrete geometric conservation laws (DGCLs) govern the geometric parameters of numerical schemes designed for the solution of unsteady flow problems on moving grids. A DGCL requires that these geometric parameters. which include among others grid positions and velocities, be computed so that the corresponding numerical scheme reproduces exactly a constant solution. Sometimes, this requirement affects the intrinsic design of an arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) solution method. In this paper, we show for sample ALE schemes that satisfying the corresponding DGCL is a necessary and sufficient condition for a numerical scheme to preserve the nonlinear stability of its fixed g-rid counterpart. We also highlight the impact of this theoretical result on practical applications of computational fluid dynamics. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science.