65N30 Finite elements, Rayleigh-Ritz and Galerkin methods, finite methods
The thesis at hand deals with the numerical solution of multiscale problems arising in the modeling of processes in fluid and thermo dynamics. Many of these processes, governed by partial differential equations, are relevant in engineering, geoscience, and environmental studies. More precisely, this thesis discusses the efficient numerical computation of effective macroscopic thermal conductivity tensors of high-contrast composite materials. The term "high-contrast" refers to large variations in the conductivities of the constituents of the composite. Additionally, this thesis deals with the numerical solution of Brinkman's equations. This system of equations adequately models viscous flows in (highly) permeable media. It was introduced by Brinkman in 1947 to reduce the deviations between the measurements for flows in such media and the predictions according to Darcy's model.
We study nonlinear finite element discretizations for the density gradient equation in the quantum drift diffusion model. Especially, we give a finite element description of the so--called nonlinear scheme introduced by {it Ancona}. We prove the existence of discrete solutions and provide a consistency and convergence analysis, which yields the optimal order of convergence for both discretizations. The performance of both schemes is compared numerically, especially with respect to the influence of approximate vacuum boundary conditions.
