An hybrid finite volume–finite element method for variable density incompressible flows

This paper is devoted to the numerical simulation of variable density incompressible flows, modeled by the Navier–Stokes system. We introduce an hybrid scheme which combines a finite volume approach for treating the mass conservation equation and a finite element method to deal with the momentum equation and the divergence free constraint. The breakthrough relies on the definition of a suitable footbridge between the two methods, through the design of compatibility condition. In turn, the method is very flexible and allows to deal with unstructured meshes. Several numerical tests are performed to show the scheme capabilities. In particular, the viscous Rayleigh–Taylor instability evolution is carefully investigated.