Finite elements in CFD: What lies ahead

Abstract

The current state of the art of Finite Element Methods in Computational Fluid Dynamics is reviewed. The aim of this review is to point out what appear currently as the main shortcomings of Finite Element Methods, so as to concentrate the efforts to remove them. The analysis of flows using Finite Elements will only be successful if all steps involved in it are optimized. Therefore, I deem it necessary to describe explicit and implicit flow solvers, unstructured multigrid methods, adaptive refinement schemes, grid generation and graphics in 3‐D, the effective use of supercomputer hardware and memory, as well as the combination of structured and unstructured grids.