The challenge of mass conservation in the solution of free-surface flows with the fractional-step method: Problems and solutions

The purpose of this paper is to put in evidence that the fractional-step method (FSM) used to solve the incompressible transient Euler and Navier-Stokes equations for free-surface flows has a problem inherent to the method that may produce unacceptable variations of the domain volume. A simple modification of the free-surface boundary term is introduced in order to reduce considerably the volume loss and preserve the computational advantages of the FSM. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.