A parallel domain decomposition boundary element method approach for the solution of large-scale transient heat conduction problems

This paper develops a parallel domain decomposition Laplace transform BEM algorithm for the solution of large-scale transient heat conduction problems. In order to tackle large problems the original domain is decomposed into a number of sub-domains, and a Laplace transform method is utilized to avoid time marching. A procedure is described which provides a good initial guess for the domain interface temperatures, and an iteration procedure is carried out to satisfy continuity of temperature and heat flux at the domain interfaces. The decomposition procedure significantly reduces the size of any single problem for the BEM, which significantly reduces the overall storage and computational burden and renders the application of the BEM to large transient conduction problems on modest computational platforms. The procedure is readily implemented in parallel and applicable to 3D problems. Moreover, as the approach described herein readily allows adaptation and integration of traditional BEM codes, it is expected that the domain decomposition approach coupled to parallel implementation should prove very competitive to alternatives proposed in the literature such as fast multipole acceleration methods that require a complete re-write of traditional BEM codes.