A stabilized finite element method for generalized stationary incompressible flows

In this paper, we describe a finite element formulation for the numerical solution of the stationary incompressible Navier-Stokes equations including Coriolis forces and the permeability of the medium. The stabilized method is based on the algebraic Version of the sub-grid scale approach. We first describe this technique for general systems of convection-diffusion-reaction equations and then we apply it to the linearized flow equations. The important point is the design of the matrix of stabilization parameters that the method has. This design is based on the identification of the stability problems of the Galerkin method and a scaling of variables argument to determine which coefficients must be included in the stabilization matrix. This, together with the convergence analysis of the linearized problem, leads to a simple expression for the stabilization parameters in the general situation considered in the paper. The numerical analysis of the linearized problem also shows that the method has optimal convergence properties. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.