Implicit spectrally-accurate method for moving boundary problems using immersed boundary conditions concept

A fully implicit, spectral algorithm for the analysis of moving boundary problem is described. The algorithm is based on the concept of immersed boundary conditions (IBC), i.e., the computational domain is fixed while the time dependent physical domain is submerged inside the computational domain, and is described in the context of the diffusion-type problems. The physical conditions along the edges of the physical domain are treated as internal constraints. The method eliminates the need for adaptive grid generation that follows evolution of the physical domain and provides sharp resolution of the location of the boundary. Various tests confirm the spectral accuracy in space and the first- and second-order accuracy in time. The computational cost advantage of the IBC method as compared with the more traditional algorithm based on the mapping concept is demonstrated. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.