Figure 1.1 shows a vector 11 and its contravariant, covariant and Cartesian
components. Obviously, the contravariant and covariant components change
as the base vectors change even though the vector '0 remains constant-. We
shall discuss the effect of the choice of velocity components on numerical
solution methods in Chap. 8.
The strong conservation form of the equations, when used together with a
finite volume method, automatically insures global momentum conservation
in the calculation. This is an important property of the conservation equations
and its preservation in the numerical solution is equally important. Retention
of this property can help to insure that the numerical method will not diverge
during the solution and may be regarded as a kind of “realizability”.
For some flows it is advantageous to resolve the momentum in spatially
variable directions. For example, the velocity in a line vortex has only one
component 21.9 in cylindrical coordinates but two components in Cartesian
coordinates. Axisymmetric fiow without swirl is two-dimensional (ZD) when
analyzed in a polar-cylindrical coordinate frame, but three-dimensional (3D)
when a Cartesian frame is used. Some numerical techniques that use non-
orthogonal coordinates require use of contravariant velocity components. The
equations then contain so—called “curvature terms”, which are hard. to compute accurately because they contain second derivatives of the coordinate
transformations that are dificult to approximate.
Throughout this book we shall work with velocity vectors and stress tensors in terms of their Cartesian components, and we shall use conservative
form of the Cartesian momentum equations.
Equation (1.16) is in strong conservation form. A non-conservative form
of this equation can be obtained by employing the continuity equation; since